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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



























Ten Indian Hunters 

STORIES OF FAMOUS INDIAN HUNTERS 


i 


BY 

MARY HAZELTON WADE 


Pen and Ink Drawings by 
SEARS GALLAGHER 

a 




> > 
J 4 



W. A. WILDE COMPANY 


BOSTON 


CHICAGO 



L18RARY of CONGRESS 
Two Contes Received 

AUG 23 '90 r 


B P-nnurlcht Entrv 

7 

A AXc., No. 

/g3 3/6? 

COPY B. 




Copyrighted 1907 
By W. A. Wilde Company 
All rights reserved 


Ten Indian Hunters 







PREFACE 


There were two things that the red men of old loved 
better than anything else in the world,— warfare and 
hunting. 

When the tiny black-eyed pappoose first began to 
take an understanding interest in the world around him 
and he had learned control of his own movements, the 
bow and arrow were placed in his baby hands and he 
was taught their use. lie was led into the woods and 
fields where he studied the ways of the wild creatures 
that dwelt there,—the smallest as well as the largest. 

“ These,” said the Indian father, “ are our natural 
prey. The Great Spirit has placed them in the world 
that His red children shall not want. Be grateful to 
Him for this gift and learn how to benefit from it.” 

What wonder then that the Indian boy made rapid 
progress in Dame Nature’s school and that his greatest 
delight was to wander through the dark forest or over 
trackless plains, with no companion save his loved and 
trusted bow and the quiver of stone-pointed arrows he 
had made for himself. 


PREFACE 


His aim became truer and his hand steadier with 
each new year, and his heart swelled most with pride 
at the praise given him hy his fellows for success in the 
chase. 

It is not strange, therefore, that when the white peo¬ 
ple entered the country and the red men found their 
hunting grounds gradually lessened, that they were 
filled with bitterness to the newcomers and longed for 
the olden times before the strange new race landed on 
their shores. 

The days of Indian warfare are gone forever, hut the 
few remaining of the once numerous tribes of red men 
are as fond of hunting as ever, although the white man’s 
rifle has taken the place of the ancient how and arrows. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER. PAGE. 

Quizquiz, tiie Hunter of Peru.11 

Red Deer, the Otomi IIunter .47 

Big Antelope, the Apache Hunter. ... 69 

Nampah, the Snake Hunter .91 


Iaatsa, the Creek Hunter .Ill 

Sanhu, the Iyutchtn Hunter.135 

Casta, the Othomaca.159 

Comux, the JSTootka Hunter.181 


White Hawk, the Iroquois Hunter. . . . 209 

Spotted Deer, the Blackfoot Hunter. . .231 








A 


V 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Quiz-Quiz and his Friends Out Hunting 


PAGE 


. Frontispiece 


i/ 


Red Deer Hunting Mountain Sheep 
Big Antelope and the Mountain Lion 


60 


1/ 


82 


✓ 


Nampah and the Grizzly Bear .... 

Katsa and the Alligator ..... 

Sanhu on his Way to Trade with the Esquimaux . 

Casta Treed by Mountain Hogs .... 

Comux and his Pet Seal ..... 

White Hawk Hunting the Beaver .... 

Spotted Deer , the Blackfoot Telling the Story of 
his First Rabbit Hunt ..... 


100 ' 
120 
154 ^ 
178 
196 
222 


232 
























QUIZQUIZ, 
The Hunter of Peru 


^TT^' Quizquiz!” 

^ As the young Indian heard his name spoken, 
he looked up from his work and turned his eyes toward 
the pathway stretching upward through a narrow mourn 
tain pass. 

Ho one was in sight. 

“ It was only my thought,” he said to himself. 

Once more his fingers began to shape long, slim ar¬ 
rows from the reeds he had gathered in the morning. 

The sun was just setting on the distant mountains 
and lighting their snowy tops with all the colors of the 
rainbow. Blue, crimson and orange ran together 
until they seemed to hide in one another’s beautiful 
garments. Even Quizquiz, eager to get ready for the 
next day’s hunt, lifted his face to the western light as 
though he wished to bathe in its glory. 

11 



12 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“Ho! Quizquiz.” 

Once more lie heard the call, hut more plainly than 
at first. There was no mistaking it this time. A 
friend must he drawing near. In a moment a young 
man of about his own age came into sight. lie was 
running with long, swinging strides, yet he moved so 
easily that it seemed as if he could keep it up all day 
without getting tired. 

“ Ah, it is you, my friend/’ answered Quizquiz. 
“ I am glad to see you. What news do you bring from 
over the mountain ? ” 

“ Great news, indeed. The Inca himself is coming 
this way. Before to-morrow’s sun has sunk into the 
ocean, he will appear in your village. Tell all of your 
people, so that they may make ready to honor him.” 

The black eyes of the young Indian shone with de¬ 
light. lie threw down the arrow he was making and 
sprang to his feet. 

“ The nohle Inca! ” he cried, with more excitement 

than an Indian usually shows, no matter what hap- 

* 

pens. But Quizquiz was still young, and sometimes 
forgot the training his parents had given him. 

It was no wonder he was excited. He had never 
yet set eyes upon the ruler of the great empire of Peru, 
who looked after all his people as a father cares for his 
children. 


QU1ZQUIZ, TEE HUNTER OF PERU 


13 


u And to-morrow! ” Qnizquiz continued. He bad 
no longer any interest in tlie next day’s bunt. 

“ Come with me to my old mother while I tell her 
the great word. She will get you food and drink, and 
you can eat while you rest,” he said to his friend. 

“ Ho, no. I cannot stay a moment longer. I must 
hurry on to the next village. Ho you not see ? I wear 
the garments of the Inca’s messengers.” 

The man pointed proudly to the cloak thrown over 
his shoulders and the turban on his head. They were 
quite different from the clothing of any other of the 
Inca’s subjects. 

With a parting word and nod, the runner moved 
away as quickly and easily as he had arrived. In a 
moment or two he was out of sight down a winding 
pass. 

Quizquiz gathered up his reeds and arrows and 
turned to the little house where he had lived ever since 
lie was a boy. There were no windows in the house 
and the doorway was so low that the tall, slim body of 
the Indian had to stoop a little in order to pass 
through. 

“ The Inca travels this way, mother,” he said to the 
old woman who was busy making cakes of corn flour. 

Without waiting for an answer, he hurried away to 
the little group of huts down the valley. He must 


14 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


carry the good news as quickly as possible to his neigh¬ 
bors. Not one of them had ever been far enough away 
from home to visit the great city of Cuzco. Never had 
they looked upon the face of that powerful ruler who 
lived in such gorgeous state, and who was the Child of 
the Sun, as they fondly believed. 

Long, long ago, the young man’s father had told him, 
the people of his country lived much like the animals. 
They wore no clothing, they did not cook their food, 
they were cruel and savage in their ways. 

But one day two wonderful beings appeared among 
them. They were of great size and beautiful to look 
upon. One was a man, the other a woman. 

“ We are the Children of the Sun,” they told the 
wondering people. “ We have come to teach you and 
make you hapj^y. You must hand together and live 
like brothers,— not like the wild beasts of the forest.” 

They led the way to the place where Cuzco, the great 
city of the empire, stands to-day. Homes were soon 
built, and the people worked in happiness under the 
loving care of their heavenly teachers. The men were 
taught to till the soil and plant gardens; the women 
learned to spin and weave and take care of their 
homes. 

Years went by. Tribe after tribe joined together, 
until at last the Children of the Sun were rulers over 


QUIZ QUIZ, TEE HUE TEE OF PERU 15 


a great empire, which stretched along the shores of the 
broad Pacific and covered the slopes of the lofty Andes 
for hundreds of miles. 

“ Quizquiz,” the hoy’s father had said to him very 
solemnly, “if ever you have the joy of looking upon 
the great Inca, do not fail to remember that he is in¬ 
deed the Child of the Sun, and that he is of the same 
family as those heavenly beings who first came to 
teach and guide our people.” 

Quizquiz never forgot those words, although his 
father died when the hoy was only seven years old. 

How that he was really to look upon the Inca, he 
could think of nothing else. He had no appetite for 
the good supper his mother spread before him. There 
was a strip of dried llama meat and a soup of the roots 
of macas that Quizquiz had gathered while tending a 
flock of llamas on the table-land above the valley. 

“ Here is parched corn to eat with your soup,” said 
the old woman. She took down a skin hag from the 
wall and tried to tempt her son’s appetite with its con¬ 
tents. 

“ Ho, no, mother, I cannot eat,” he answered. 

The young man got up and went outside into the 
starlight, to stretch himself on the ground and dream 
of the next day. 

The people of the village were shepherds. They 


1G 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


tended large flocks of llamas. They led them from 
place to place on the table-lands above the little valley 
where they lived. Not one of these gentle peasants 
owned any of the animals. They belonged to the Inca 
and to his father, the Sun. So the people had been 
taught to believe. 

The llamas must he cared for tenderlv, and when 
the season came round must show they had had such 
care, for the wool must he sent to the ruler at Cuzco. 
He would not keep it, however. O no, he loved his 
subjects too well for that! Every family in the high¬ 
lands, living where warm clothing was needed, would 
receive enough wool to make all the garments for the 
next year. No one suffered from w r ant in the empire 
of the Inca. 

The father of Quizquiz had been a shepherd. He 

« 

loved nothing better than to follow the gentle llamas 
from place to place and see that they found the food 
they needed. But his young son liked best to wander 
from home for many miles. He set traps for the wild 
creatures of the country and shot birds with his bow 
and arrows. 

“ Away to the east are thick forests,” Quizquiz was 
told by an old friend who had traveled far from home. 
“ There you can hear the cry of the fierce jaguar; 
there you may track the tapir. Poisonous snakes will 


QU1ZQUIZ, THE HUNTER OF PERU 17 


creep along your pathway, and you will have to keep 
fires burning through the night if you would save your 
life from the wild beasts of the forest.” 

As Quizquiz listened to the tales of the hunter, he 
longed to visit those forests. 

“ I will go there when I am a man,” he said. “ I 
will yet see those strange creatures with my own eyes.” 

But the boy’s father had died and his mother needed 
him. So he had to be satisfied with short trips away 
from home, and the one great excitement of his people, 
•— the hunt after vicunas, which took place whenever 
the Inca gave the order. 

Although vicunas were quite wild and lived on the 
high slopes of the Andes, no one dared hunt them, ex¬ 
cept when the Inca permitted. 

“ It is nearly time for the hunt,” thought Quizquiz, 
as he rose early the next morning after his friend’s 
flying visit. “ Perhaps the Inca will give the order 
to-day, as he passes through our village.” 

The young man had dressed himself in his best 
clothes. His turban and cape were of coarse cloth his 
mother had spun from llama wool, but they were bright 
in color and quite fresh. So was his short skirt. All 
of his friends were in holiday dress as they left the 
village and entered the pass through which the Inca 
would come. 


18 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Many of them were laden with sweet-smelling flow¬ 
ers. Others had brushes with which to clear away the 
stones from the pathway. Quizquiz was one of those 
who carried flowers. 

“ We will make the way of our lord as beautiful as 
possible/’ he said. 

The j)rocession came in sight at last. There was 
the great body of nobles with plumes of bright feathers 
waving over their heads. And there was the gorgeous 
litter of the Inca himself. 

As the bright rays of the sun fell upon the litter, its 
ornaments of gold and emeralds sparkled, while over 
it floated the banner of the empire, on which the rain¬ 
bow itself was pictured. 

How the villagers bowed their heads, for the pro¬ 
cession was close at hand. Lo! a voice sounded from 
within the litter. The royal Inca wished his bearers 
to stop that he might show himself to his faithful sub¬ 
jects. 

The curtains were drawn aside. The Inca could 
be plainly seen. Ilis dress was of the finest wool of 
the vicuna and sparkled with ornaments of gold and 
precious stones. A richly-colored turban was wound 
round and round his head. It was trimmed with scar¬ 
let fringe. Two feathers stood upright in it. They 
were the royal badge. Ho one save an Inca might 


QU1ZQUIZ , THE HUNTER OF PERU 19 

wear these rare feathers. They came from a curious 
bird found in a certain desert among the mountains. 
If anyone harmed or destroyed these birds he must 
sutler death. 

The mother of Quizquiz had once told him about 
these birds. 

“ There are hut two of them in the whole world/’ 
she said. “ It is only when an Inca dies and returns 
to his home in the heavens, that men seek these sacred 
birds to get two fresh feathers to adorn the turban of 
the new ruler.” 

Quizquiz gazed in wonder when he dared to lift his 
eyes to the Inca. 

Now the ruler spoke to his people. He wished them 
to tell him if there w r as anything wrong which he 
could make right. Did his governors treat them 
justly? Did anyone sutfer? lie wished them to speak 
freely, for he was their loving father. 

Ho one thought of making any complaint. All were 
filled with joy merely to be in the presence of the 
Child of the Sun. 

He gave the order to advance and the procession 
moved on its way. The spot where the litter had rested 
for a moment was marked by the simple Indians. It 
would ever after be a sacred place to them. 

“ The great vicuna hunt will be held the first day of 


20 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


the next quarter of the moon/’ said one of the old men 
of the village that afternoon. “ So the Inca has com¬ 
manded.” 

Quizqniz was very busy getting ready for the great 
hunt. He sharpened his spears and cut long poles 
with which to beat up the game. It was four 
years since there had been such a hunt in his part 
of the country, for the Inca used care about the wild 
creatures of the mountain-sides, as well as about his 
people. 

“ The vicunas must not be hunted too often,” he 
had said, “ or they will all be killed off. If that hap¬ 
pened I should not have a supply of their soft and 
beautiful wool. Ho, the young vicunas must have a 
chance to grow up.” 

This time the Inca would lead the hunt himself. 
Many thousands of people in all that part of the coun¬ 
try were told to be ready. 

While all the people were thinking and talking of 
the coming hunt, the timid vicunas were leading a 
merry life. They went here and there on the high 
mountain plains nibbling the ychu, a kind of grass 
found only among the Andes. Where the ychu grows, 
there will the vicunas be found. 

• % 

These pretty creatures are as graceful as deer, and 
prettier than their cousins, the llamas. Their breasts 


QUIZ QUIZ, THE HUNTER OF PERU 21 

are white as snow, hut most of their wool is reddish 

yellow. 

While the rest of the flock are eating, the leader 
stands on guard to watch lest an enemy should draw 
near. If a sound is heard he gives a sharp whistle and 
paws the ground with his hoofs. It is the signal of 
alarm. All stop feeding and come close together. 
Every eye is turned toward the danger. Then away 
they flee. Faster and faster their slim legs move, the 
leader, gallant fellow, last of all. He will have none 
of his flock left behind to come to any harm. 

THE GREAT HUNT. 

“ Have you gathered your share of stakes ? ” asked 
one of the young friends of Quizquiz. “ We must all 
be ready to do our part in the hunt.” 

It was the day before the one on which they were to 
start. Quizquiz pointed towards the hut. 

“ See,” was his answer. 

His friend looked at the large pile of stakes beside 
the door. 

“ It is good. You have done well,” he said with a 
smile. 

Yearly everyone in the village joined in the vicuna 
hunt. Only the old people and the little children were 


22 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


left behind. The women were needed to cook the food 
and help in other ways after the vicunas had been 
taken, for the hunters would be away from home for 
a week, at least. 

They sang merrily as they went on their way. The 
people of many other villages joined them. At last 
the number became so great that Quizquiz could not 
count them. Songs in praise of the Inca rose on the 
air; songs in praise of the Good Father, the ruler 
of all. 

Higher and higher they mounted. The icy air of 
the mountains froze their breath. Their brown skins 
glowed with the cold of the frost king. 

Sh! The songs must cease, for the grazing grounds 
of the vicunas were not far away. The hunters spread 
out in long lines so as to close in on their prey and 
keep them from escaping. 

Ah! Some of the men had already driven one flock 
before them. And there was another, and another! 
Quizquiz, keen-eyed and swift of foot, had been busy 
with the rest. 

There was no escape for the poor vicunas now. Hun¬ 
dreds of them w T ere huddled together, looking with 
frightened eyes at the men who were closing in around 
them, nearer and nearer. 

They would not kill all of the vicunas they caught. 


QUIZQUIZ, THE HUNTER OF PERU 23 

•VJfc 

The Inca only wished for the soft wool of many of 
them. After they had been sheared they would he set 
free to wander among their mountain pastures as be¬ 
fore. But their wool, so soft and beautiful, would be 
carried to the cities and woven into fine shawls and 
robes for the Inca and his nobles. The rich hangings 
and carpets in the royal palaces were also made of it. 

A part of the frightened flock, however, must be 
killed for food. The flesh was very good and furnished 
the meat for thousands of people during the whole 
year. 

When the skins had been removed, the flesh was cut 
into thin strips and dried in the sun. This was the 
time when the help of the women was needed. The 
Peruvians called the dried meat charqui. It was eaten 
without cooking. 

When the wool had been cut and packed away in 
bags of skin and the meat had been dried, the Inca 
declared that the hunt was over; the people were free 
to return to their homes. 

After one last loving look at his emperor, Quizquiz 
turned to go down the mountain side with his 
friends. 

lie little thought that he should never again be in 
the presence of the great Inca. Only a , short time 
after the hunt, the news came to the little village in 


> 


24 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


the valley that the good ruler of all Peru had gone to 
his home in the heavens. 

After his death it was found that he had done what 
no Inca had ever done before him: he had divided his 
empire between two of his sons, instead of leaving it 
all to one. 

There was great mourning for the dead Inca. There 
was also great wonder that two rulers were to share 
the country between them. 

All went well for a time. Then the brothers began 
to quarrel. One of them managed to get the other into 
prison. 

It was at this very time that Pizarro, the cruel 
Spaniard, came to the shores of Peru. He heard about 
the great city of Cuzco and the rich palaces of the 
Incas. He saw that gold and silver and precious stones 
were plentiful. He learned of the trouble between 
the two sons of the dead Inca. He said to his fol¬ 
lowers : 

“ It is a good time for us to get the country into our 
hands. The people are gentle and peaceful. We shall 
easily conquer them, and the great riches of Peru shall 
be ours.” 

Alas for Quizquiz and his people! It was not long 
before Pizarro’s words came true. The Spaniards held 
the whole country. 


QUIZQUIZ, THE HUNTER OF PERU 25 


OVER THE MOUNTAINS. 

I 

No one in the little village felt that his life was safe, 
when the stories came of what the Spaniards were 
doing. 

“ At any moment the cruel white men may ride 
here on their strange beasts and put us all to death.” 

This was what the poor Indians said to each other 
and they trembled as they spoke. The old mother of 
Quizquiz died of fright at the thought of what had 
come to her people. The young man was left alone. 

“ I will not stay here any longer,”* he said to his 
friends. “ I will seek a new home away to the east¬ 
ward. There the Spaniards cannot find me, for I will 
live in the deep forest where they will not venture to 
come.” 

“ We will go with you,” cried two young Indians 
who had been his companions ever since they were 
born. 

No time was lost. In two days everything was 
ready for the journey. There was a skin bag of char- 
qui and another of pounded corn. Shawls of llama 
wool were strapped together for clothing and covers 
for their rough beds. Two or three wooden dishes were 
taken, together with flints for striking fire. 

Last, but by no means least, their weapons were care- 


26 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


fully prepared. These would be their only defence 
against the fierce beasts that roamed through the coun¬ 
try they were about to enter. 

“ My dear little pet,” said Quizquiz, speaking to his 
favorite llama. 

It had worked faithfully for him in the village home 
and now he would take it with him as he fled from the 
white men. 

“ You must carry our provisions for us, but we will 
treat you as kindly as we treat ourselves.” 

The llama looked up at his master as if trying to tell 
him that he understood. 

The morning soon came when the three young In¬ 
dians bade good-bye to home and friends. A pack- 
saddle was bound to the llama’s back. The food and 
clothing were placed upon it. 

“ Good-bye, good-bye,” said their friends. 

“ You are going into danger,” added an old man, 
“ but there can be nothing worse than the white men. 
I wish I were young and strong; then I would go with 
you.” 

At first the way led over a narrow, rocky path. It 
was hard for the feet of the travelers, but they pushed 
on without stopping till late in the afternoon. By 
this time they were ten miles on their w T ay. 

“ We need food and rest,” said Quizquiz. u Besides, 


I 


QVIZQU1Z, THE HUNTER OF PERU 27 
the llama must rest and be fed. He will eat nothin"' 

o 

after dark, no matter how hungry he may be. Let us 
make a camp here for the night.” 

It was a lonely spot where the travelers stopped. 

“ Look,” said Chalcu, one of the young men. “ Those 
rocks near by are hollowed out so the winds cannot 
blow down upon us if we take shelter there for the 
night.” 

The others agreed with him. Leading the llama to 
the sheltered nook, they took off the pack-saddle and 
gave him his supper. It was very cold and the men 
shivered. 

“ Let us make a fire so we may warm ourselves,” 
said Quizquiz. - We can find enough moss and roots, I 
am sure.” 

By the time the young men sat down to their sup¬ 
per, the llama had finished his meal and was making a 
soft humming noise. lie was quite contented. 

“ Suppose the smoke from our fire should be seen 
by white men,” suggested Chalcu, as he stretched him¬ 
self out for sleep. 

“ The rocks shut us off from sight,” answered Quiz- 

quiz. “ In this wild place I have no fear of the 

enemv.” 

«/ 

Next morning’s sun had not yet risen when the 
young men were stirring. Just as the dawn began to 


28 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


break, the sharp eyes of Quizquiz saw something mov¬ 
ing out of a hole in the rocks only a little way from 
where he stood. 

“ I believe it is a chinchilla/’ he said. “ It is the 
time of day when it creeps out into the world to get its 
food.” 

He kept very still. The chinchilla was coming nearer 
and nearer. But it soon discovered that it was not 
alone. It gave one quick look, then scampered away 
so fast it seemed as if its white feet hardly touched 
the ground. 

“ I should like to get some of the soft little animals,” 
said Quizquiz. “ Their fur is finer than that of any 
other. If we were going to stay here to-day, I should 
make a snare and set it in front of that hole in the 
rocks. At least one chinchilla would get caught when 
it came out for its supper.” 

“ When I was a boy I liked to set snares,” said 
Chima. “ It was one of my best sports. But come, we 
must be on our way before the sun is much higher.” 

Once more the llama bent to receive his pack, and 
the red men again took up their journey. 

It was a hard, rough path over which they traveled. 
All the day before they had been climbing through a 
mountain pass that led them ever upwards, but now 
the way was mostly down, down, down. Sometimes 


QUIZQUIZ, TEE HUNTER OF PERU 29 


they crept along a narrow ledge of rock on the very 
edge of a precipice. 

The llama, patient and sure-footed, followed his mas¬ 
ter, without stopping to look to the right or left. 

Once the travelers came to a foaming torrent rush¬ 
ing across their pathway. A slender bridge of ropes 
stretched from one side to the other. It looked too 
light to bear the weight of a man. Years ago, it had 
been put up by Indian hunters on their way to the 
forests of the east. 

“ I am not afraid,” stoutly declared Quizquiz. “ But 
the llama ? How shall we get him across ? ” 

“ We must take off the pack and I will carry it on 
my back. Then you can lead the llama. I believe 
he will follow without trouble,” said Chalcu. 

Slowly, but surely, the little procession moved over 

i 

the slender bridge. It rocked like a hammock. Only 
an Indian could have kept on his feet,—or a llama. 

A little further on, Quizquiz called to his friends 
■who were ahead of him: 

“ Do you see that condor ? Perhaps some game is 
near. We must keep a sharp lookout.” 

The huge bird was very high above their heads but 
they noticed that he was circling downwards. His long 
swoops were bringing him nearer and nearer. 

“ Ah! I see what he is after,” said Chima in a low 


30 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


tone. “ There is a flock of guanacos feeding around 
that bend in the path. They have not discovered us, 
nor their enemy, the condor. Lie down, both of you, 
and keep still. Let us watch.” 

The condor drew nearer the little nook where the 
guanacos were quietly feeding. They looked very much 
like their cousins, the llamas, hut they were larger and 
their wool was shorter. 

Suddenly their leader started and looked up. It 
was none too soon. The shadow of the great bird was 
already darkening the air above his head. Away went 
the flock like the very wind. Their hoofs clattered as 
they struck the ledge of rocks along which they were 
fleeing. 

“ We must keep a sharp watch,” said Quizquiz as 
the condor flew out of sight. “ We may come upon 
another flock of guanacos before long.” 

The way was now so rough that no one thought of 
talking. After two hours’ hard walking they came in 
sight of a second stream. It was very deep, and the 
water rushed so furiously over the rocks that it was of 
no use to think of swimming. 

The young Indians silently looked at the stream. 
How were they to get across ? 

“ I know what to do,” said Chalcu, in a moment or 
two. “ You see that large tree growing out over the 


QUIZQTJIZ, TEE HUNTER OF PERU 31 


water? Well, a few strokes of the axe and it shall 
fall across the stream, making a bridge over which we 
can pass in safety.” 

Each one took his tnrn at the work and before long 
the tree began to sway. A few more strokes and it fell 
just as the Indians wished. It spanned the stream. 
They were all delighted with the bridge thus made, but 
the llama seemed to have a different opinion. He had 
to be coaxed to step upon it. 

At last, however, the whole party were safe on the 
other side. They were very tired by this time, but 
they still pushed on. 

At last, when they had reached the top of a hill and 
were about to make camp for the night, they saw a 
flock of guanacos on a little plain beyond them. The 
guanacos were much nearer than the first flock they 
had seen. Quizquiz at once forgot how tired he was. 

“ Keep still,” he whispered to the others. “ I will 
soon have one of those timid creatures for my own.” 

lie lifted the pack from the back of the llama. 
Opening it, he took out the skin of a vicuna and spread 
it over his head and shoulders. 

“ Hand me my bow and arrows,” he said to Chalcu. 

As soon as he had received them, he got down on all 
fours and crept along in the direction of the guanacos. 
The animals noticed him when he was still a long way 


32 


TEN INDIAN IITJNTEES 


off, but they were not frightened. Why should they 
fear that clumsy vicuna, they thought. He was their 
own cousin. They kept on eating their supper. 

Quizquiz had come very close when the leader gave 
a long sniff. He scented something that was not four¬ 
legged animal,—it was human. 

But Quizquiz was expecting this very thing. He 
rose suddenly to his feet and with wonderful quickness 
set an arrow to the string. Whizz! flew the arrow, 
straight into the forehead of the nearest guanaco. It 
gave a jump to one side and fell heavily to the ground. 

The rest of the flock, headed by their leader, fled in 
fright. 

“ If I had only killed the leader,” Quizquiz said to 
his friends, “ I might have got the other six. They 
would not have left him after he was wounded. How¬ 
ever, one is enough for us at present. We could not 
add much more to the burden of our poor llama.” 

THE FOREST HOME. 

Before the afternoon of the next day, the three young 
travelers had reached a wide plain. Beyond that 
stretched the great forest. 

“ We shall soon have all the hunting we wish,” said 
Chima, when the camp had been made for the last 
time. 


QUIZQU1Z, THE HUNTER OF PERU 


33 


“ Yes, and perhaps even more / 7 replied Chalcu. 
“ Many a time in the night we shall wake to the cries 
of the puma and the jaguar.” 

“ The bites of ants may trouble us even more than 
the cries of wild animals,” added Quizquiz with a 
laugh. 

The last few miles of the journey, the poor little 
llama panted so much with the heat that the young 
men took pity on him. They lifted the pack from his 
back and divided it between them. 

They were on the borders of a deep forest. 

“ We are not far from water,” suggested Chima. 
“ I can hear its sound as it runs along.” 

“ We must find it before dark. Our gourds are 
empty and I am very thirsty / 7 said Chalcu. 

In a few moments they were resting beside a small 
stream. Tall palm trees grew along its banks. It was 
a good place for the new home. 

A fire was soon built and the llama was fed. The 
supper of guanaco flesh and corn bread was eaten with 
a relish known only to tired travelers afoot. 

The dark night of the forest soon fell upon the camp. 
Strange birds called through the tree tops. Monkeys 
chattered with shrill cries, not far away. But the 
men were too tired to be troubled by the sounds of the 
forest. 


34 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


It would not do for all of them to sleep at once. The 
fire must be kept up, or some wild creature might come 
too near. Each must take his turn at watching while 
the others slept. So the night passed, and no harm 
came either to the young men or the tired llama. 

When the sunlight flickered down through the tree 
tops, Quizquiz, who had the last watch of the night, 
called his sleeping friends. They stretched themselves, 
grunted, and slowly got upon their feet. 

“ We cannot starve here,” said Chima. “ There is 
plenty of food around us on the trees.” 

lie pointed up at the palm beside him. Kipe fruit 
hung in clusters beneath the broad leaves. In a mo¬ 
ment he was climbing the trunk. 

“ There are many kinds of palms near us,” said 
Quizquiz. “ I found that out during my last watch.” 

The bright eyes of the Indian had already been busy. 
Although he had never before been in this hot forest 
country, he had listened closely to what hunters told 
him of the different trees and plants that grew there, 
and he knew them when he saw them. 

That day the young men were busy building their 
liut. They cut down slender palms and set the poles 
into the earth in the shape of a circle. They gathered 
brush for the walls and broad palm leaves for the 
thatch of the roof. 


QUIZ QUIZ, THE HUH TER OF PERU 


35 


“ Big rains fall here, so the roof must be tight,” 
they said. And they worked with great care. 

As soon as the hut was finished, the Indians wove 
hammocks in which to sleep. They had already found 
that ants and spiders were plentiful. They had also 
seen more than one wicked-looking snake gliding 
through the brush. Yes, the hammocks were needed 
at once. 

“ We ought to get our weapons ready for hunting,” 
said Quizquiz on the third morning of their life in 
their new home. “ I have already heard many strange 
sounds in the forest nearby. At any time a fierce 
jaguar or puma may take us by surprise.” 

Clialcu looked up from his work. 

“ Quizquiz,” he replied, “ I have something to tell 
you. Only a few hours before we left home our med¬ 
icine man called me to his house. He told me a secret 
that no one else in the village knows. It is the way 
to make a strong poison with which to tip our arrows. 
Even the jaguar lives but a short time after it enters 
his flesh. It does not hurt the meat for food, either.” 

The three young men were soon searching for a cer¬ 
tain plant. It was the one from which to make the 
poison. It was soon found. While Chalcu was pre¬ 
paring it, Quizquiz and Chirna spent the time in mak¬ 
ing light, but strong, arrows. 


36 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


The very next day they set out in search of game. 

The morning passed without any adventures. In 
the afternoon the hunters shot a hag full of birds and 
found a nest of turtle’s eggs on the sandy shore of the 
river. There were at least a hundred eggs in that one 
nest. 

“ We can feast as we never did before,” said Chima 
as they went home. 

“ I have no doubt that if we come here again to¬ 
morrow morning we shall find many such nests, for 
where one turtle comes to lay, many others usually 
follow.” 

It proved to he just as Quizquiz said. The young 
hunters were able to lay by a rich store of eggs that 
would last them for a long time to come. 

The next day Quizquiz left his friends at the hut and 
wandered off in a search for wild honey. It was very 
hot and as he neared a pool of water he thought, “ How 
cool that water looks! I will take a swim. First, how¬ 
ever, I will rest a little.” 

He stretched himself on the edge of the pool and 
half closed his eyes to shut out the heat All at once 
he noticed something queer about the floating lily pads 
on the surface of the water. Surely, leaves did not 
have dark, snapping eyes! In a very scaly head, at 
that! Ah! they stirred a little, and the head was gone. 


QU1ZQUIZ, TEE HUNTER OF PERU 37 


“ Hm! ” muttered Quizquiz. “ It is as well that I 
did not plunge into the pool. If I am not mistaken, 
that was the head of an alligator. The ugly fellow is 
out fishing. I would rather he did not make his dinner 
of my flesh.” 

THE TAPIR. 

When he went home he told his friends about the 
alligator. 

“ We must get him,” he said. “ There are not many 
tender places in his skin where our arrows could enter, 
but if we can put an arrow well into one of his eyes, 
or send it just right into his armpit, he is sure to he a 
dead alligator before many minutes pass by.” 

“ While you were away, we, too, had an adventure,” 
remarked Chima, when Quizquiz had finished his 
story. “ We got tired of lying in our hammocks, so 
we started to follow you. But we must have gone in 
the wrong direction. 

“ Just as we were about to turn back and start 
again, we heard a noise as if some heavy creature were 
trampling down the brush as he moved along. We step¬ 
ped aside and set our arrows to be ready for the attack 
of a wild beast. You see, Quizquiz, I am always 
thinking of tiger-cats and jaguars here in the forest. 

“ Behold! An immense fellow, with long legs, erect 


38 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


mane, and short tail came plunging through the brush. 
He was larger than any animal I had ever seen in my 
life. His nose was more than a nose.” 

Quizquiz laughed, as his friend described the animal. 

“ I mean just that,” Chima went on. “ It was 
really a snout. He was using it very busily, tearing up 
tufts of grass, roots and tender shoots. Suddenly he 
saw us. lie gave one snort and then, to our surprise, 
instead of coming to attack us, he turned aside and fled 
towards the river. We followed him on the run, but 
we did not overtake him before he plunged into the 
water.” 

“ It must have been a tapir,” said Quizquiz. “ It is 
strange that he was wandering about in the daytime. I 
have always heard that he is a great eater hut that he 
takes the early night for going abroad. Something 
must have startled him from his sleep.” 

“ Perhaps it was the sound of our footsteps,” said 
Chalcu. “ We may have passed close to his grassy 
bed. The tapir can hear sounds that we do not notice. 
At least, that is what I have heard.” 

“ He is quite gentle unless he is attacked. Then one 
must look out for his sharp teeth. But come, my 
friends, let us have supper,” suggested Quizquiz. 

That very night Chalcu was taken ill. He tossed 
and turned through the long hours, until at last, to- 


QUIZQUIZ, THE HUNTER OF PERU 39 


wards morning, he fell into a restless sleep. Then he 
began to talk in queer, broken sentences. 

Quizquiz, who was a light sleeper, woke up at the 
sound. He sprang from his hammock and went to his 
friend’s side. The full moon was shining upon Clial- 
cu’s face. 

“ It is fever,” Quizquiz said. “ This hot, damp 
weather has been too much for my friend. I know 
what will cure him, though. As soon as the day breaks 
I will search for a certain tree. Its bark is very bitter 
but it is good medicine and will drive away the fever.” 

Although Quizquiz had to hunt for many hours, he 
found a cinchona tree at last. As soon as he had ob¬ 
tained a small quantity of the bark, he hurried home 
and prepared the medicine as he had once seen his 
mother do it. Then he gave a large dose of it to Chalcu, 
who was now awake but was still burning with the 
fever. 

The next day the sick Indian was able to sit up, and 
in less than a week he was able to go hunting once 
more. 

“ Let us seek the bank where we found the turtle’s 
eggs,” said Quizquiz. “ That will not be too much of 
a trip for Chalcu. I feel sure we can find a turtle or 
two. The meat is tender and nourishing and it will 
make him strong again.” 


40 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


It was still early in the morning when they started 
out. They carried their favorite weapons, bows and 
arrows, but Quizquiz also took a club. 

Soon after they reached the stream, a large, fat tur¬ 
tle stuck his head up out of the mud that lined the 
shore. He was on the lookout for water snakes and in¬ 
sects. The Indians spied him at once. 

“ Be patient,” Quizquiz said to his friends. “ Let 
us lie down behind these bushes and wait. Ho doubt 
the turtle will soon crawl upon the bank. Then I will 
jump out quickly and turn him over on his back. He 
will be quite helpless and we can make an end of him 
in no time.” 

“ It will serve him right, too,” said Chima. “ They 
say that the male turtle eats up the eggs laid by the 
mother.” 

They did not have long to wait. Before a half hour 
had passed, the turtle became tired of watching for 
prey, or else he had eaten enough to satisfy him. At 
any rate, he left his place in the muddy water and 
slowly came up on the bank. 

Quizquiz was watching him. In another moment the 
big fellow was sprawling on the ground with feet up 
in the air. He might kick as much as he pleased, but 
he could not get away from the hunters. 

“ Hm! ” said Chima, as the young men went on 


QUIZ QUIZ, THE HUN TEH OF PERU 41 


their way. “ Look at those two vultures flying about 
overhead. The dead body of some animal must be near 
by. The vultures have discovered it, or they would not 
be flying near the ground.” 

The ugly birds were flapping their wings and making 
hoarse cries of delight. They seemed to have no fear 
of the men. 

“Hm! ” repeated Cliima. Just in front of him lay 
the carcass of a large animal. “ Hm! ” he said for 
the third time. “ This is what is left of a puma, unless 
I am mistaken. I should rather meet it dead than 
alive, for pumas are good fighters with their long claws 
and sharp teeth.” 

“ I certainly should not care to meet one without my 
good bow in hand,” remarked Quizquiz. “ Even in a 
tree one is not safe from a puma, for he can scale the 
straightest trunk.” 

“ We have little to fear from the savage creatures 
of the forest in the daytime,” said Cliima. “ They 
are quietly sleeping. It is only at nightfall that they 
begin to steal forth in search of prey.” 

“ See, friends,” cried Clialcu, “ how dark it has 
grown. And listen! ” 

As he spoke a loud peal of thunder seemed to shake 
the very earth beneath their feet. At the same time 
the trees around them tumbled and swayed in the 


42 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


strong wind that suddenly arose and swept through the 
forest. Flash after flash of lightning almost blinded 
their eyes. But between the flashes the darkness was 
almost as great as though night had suddenly fallen. 

Then the rain came pouring down as though the 
skies had opened. It was of no use to go on. The 
three Indians sheltered themselves as well as they could 
against the trunks of trees. 

Crash! crash! Two tall trees came falling to the 
ground near them. They had been struck by the 
lightning. Never before had the young men been out 
in such a fearful storm. Poor Chalcu, still weak from 
the fever, sank to the ground. He had nearly fainted. 

It was an hour before the storm passed by and the 
hunters were able to go on their way. Then they dis¬ 
covered they had lost track of home. That was a 
strange thing to happen to those keen-eyed Indians who 
took notice of every tree and bush. But somehow the 
rain had swept away all the marks they had set for 
themselves. They wandered about for some time, al¬ 
though they knew the general direction they had to 
follow. 

By this time heavy shadows began to fall, not of 
another storm but of the early nightfall. 

“ Ugh! ” said Quizquiz. “ I have lost my quiver of 
arrows. I must have left that, as well as my club, 


QUIZQUIZ, THE HUNTER OF PERU 43 


under the tree where I stayed during the storm. I will 
look about for a stout stick.” 

“ And I have only two arrows left,” said Chima. 
“ It is a had time to have only a small supply of weap¬ 
ons, here at nightfall in the midst of this forest.” 

He had scarcely finished the sentence when there 
was a sudden cry from Chalcu, who was a little way 
behind his friends. 

“ The jaguar! take care!” 

These were the words that made both Quizquiz and 
Chima spring to one side. Looking back, they saw 
Chalcu fall to the ground and a great cat-like animal, 
with fiery eyes and lashing tail, spring upon his back. 
One paw held the man’s head down; the other was all 
ready to break his neck, when suddenly an arrow came 
whizzing past the animal’s head. 

It failed to strike him, but the beast looked up 
to see what had interrupted his cruel work. That one 
moment gave Chima time to send his second and last 
arrow. Ah! this time it did not fail in reaching the 
mark. It entered the heart of the jaguar. The up¬ 
lifted paw fell helpless. The body tottered, and the 
most dangerous enemy the Indians could meet in the 
forest fell to one side. Chalcu was saved. 

It all happened in less time than it takes to tell the 
story. Quizquiz, who had stood helpless, unable 


44 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


to do anything for his friend, could hardly speak when 
the danger was over. In a moment or two, however, he 
burst forth with praise of Chima and his brave work. 

As for Chalcu, the danger seemed to give him new 
life. He bounded along beside his friends with light 
steps. 

They soon found the trail and reached their little 
hut without further adventure. On the way they came 
across a harmless armadillo feeding on a colony of 
ants. They did not stop to molest it. 

“ Another time/’ said Quizquiz. 

“ Yes, another time,” repeated Chima. “ But, just 
now, home is better than twenty armadillos.” 

The three young Indians had been living their wild 
life in the forest for several months, when one day they 
had a great surprise. 

It was late in the afternoon when Quizquiz, looking 
off over the plain to the west of the forest, saw a dark 
mass against the sky. It Avas in motion. As it moved 
it became larger and larger. At last it took shape, or 
rather shapes, and Quizquiz saw that it was a number 
of people coming in their direction. 

“ Can it be that the white men have tracked us and 
are on the way to destroy us ? ” he said. He ran in 
haste to his friends, A\ T ho were comfortably swinging 
in their hammocks. 


QUIZ QUIZ, TEE HUE TER OF PERU 


45 


As soon as they heard the news, they sprang np and 
ran with Qnizqniz to the edge of the forest. They 
peered out. He had spoken truly. There were at least 
thirty people in the party. 

But look! They were leading some llamas heavily 
laden with packs. 

These were surely not the cruel Spaniards, for the 
white men would have come riding the strange animals 
they had brought with them to Peru. 

The visitors were Indians like themselves. 

Suppose,—ah, it was too good to think of,—that 
these were old friends and neighbors from their own 
little village, who had at last decided to seek a home 
with them in the forest. 

It was indeed true, but the newcomers had a sad' 
story to tell. The Spaniards had entered their village 
and robbed them of almost everything they cared 
for. 

They had not stopped at that, for they had tortured 
and put to death many of the Indians. 

“ And we who were spared decided that it was not 
too late to seek Quizquiz and his companions. We 
might yet be happy together,” one old man said to the 
hunters. 

“ You thought well,” was the answer. “ We will 
show you how to live in comfort and peace.” 


46 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


It was not long before a little Indian village stood 
beneath the tall palm trees. 

There the red men lived to the end of their lives, 
untroubled by the Spaniards and seldom harmed by 
the wild creatures of the forest. 



RED DEER, 
The Otomi Hunter 


I T was after the white men had been in Red Deer’s 
country. 

The young hunter lived in the mountains above the 
valley of Mexico. Around him were high cliffs. Be¬ 
yond these were peaks whose snowy tops glistened in 
the sunlight. Just below was the rich and beautiful 
valley where the palaces of Montezuma were once the 
pride of his red subjects. 

Red Deer loved to hear stories of those glorious 
times, before the cruel Spaniards had entered his coun¬ 
try lie listened eagerly to the tale of the wonders of 
the great city that lay almost at his feet,—the animals 
and birds collected from far and near; the beautiful 
trees and plants; the ponds stocked with rare fish; the 
floating gardens; most wonderful of all, the riches of 
Montezuma’s palaces, splendid with gold and silver 
and precious stones. 


47 



48 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Now everything was different. White men had 
come and destroyed all these wonders. The Indians 
were no longer held together under one powerful ruler. 
Each tribe lived by itself and followed its own wild 
life. 

Red Deer liked this life. He was free and happy, 
lie did not suffer from cold or heat, for it was like one 
continual spring, up there in the clear air of the moun¬ 
tains. 

He did not need to go hungry, for there was always 
plenty of game in the forests to be had for the taking. 
Birds of many kinds built their nests in the trees near 
Red Deer’s home. Wild geese and ducks swam in the 
waters of the lakes. Eruit was abundant in the valley 
below. In the country round him grew many wild 
plants that his mother used in preparing dinner for 
herself and her son. These two made the whole of the 
family, for Red Deer’s father was no longer living. 

Red Deer lived in a house made from the trunks 
of trees. They were tied together with creeping plants. 
The walls of the house were plastered with mud. 

Sometimes the wind blew hard up there in the high¬ 
lands. For this reason, stones were laid on the roof 
so it could not blow off. 

If was a comfortable home, but Red Deer did not 
stay much inside. He liked best to wander through 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


49 


the woods with bow in hand and quiver of arrows 
slung over his back, looking for game. 

He had been to war several times. Then he wore a 
shield made of small canes woven together. He carried 
a spear and had a heavy club tied to his wrist by a 
thong. He had dealt some terrible blows with that 
club, and had brought home the scalps of enemies to 
show for his work. 

How he was only twenty years old, but he had a 
sad, stern face. He spoke few words and was quite 
happy when wandering about alone. He cared little 
for the company of others. 

“ I am going after ducks,” he told his mother one 
bright morning. 

He took a large gourd which hung on the wall and 
went out of the house. The red woman watched him as 
he entered the path leading to a lake in the valley below 
the village. 

As he disappeared from sight she picked up the 
basket she was weaving and went on with her work. 

“ If my son finds any ducks there, he will surely be 
able to get some,” she said. She smiled. 

In the meanwhile Red Deer, taking his time, kept on 
to the lake. It was a beautiful sheet of water, fringed 
with noble oak trees. A number of large gourds were 
floating on the surface. Here and there, ducks were 


50 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


swimming idly about. Now and then one of them 
would dip bis bill down into the water to drink. Or 
may be he was after a fish that came swimming by, or 
an insect that had fallen in. 

In and out among the gourds moved the birds, with 
no thought of harm or danger. They were shy crea¬ 
tures and easily frightened, yet here on the quiet lake, 
where no sound could be heard save what they made 
themselves, they felt perfectly safe. 

Red Deer watched them for a few moments from 
among the trees. Then, slipping the gourd he had 
brought with him over his head, he crept down to the 
water’s edge and entered the lake. Through narrow 
slits made for his eyes he could barely see what he was 

In a moment it seemed as though another gourd was 
floating idly about among the others. The timid ducks 
were not troubled in the least. 

One of the birds came swimming along close to Red 
Deer’s gourd. Two stout hands down below were 
ready to seize it and draw it swiftly below the sur¬ 
face before there was a chance to give the alarm to 
its companions. So easily did Red Deer secure his 
prey. 

Over and over again the young hunter played this 
trick on the ducks. Over and over again they were 



RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


51 


deceived by the cunning red man, until at last lie was 
quite satisfied and ended his hunt for the day. 

With the ducks over his back and the gourd in his 
hand, he left the lake and went home to feast and rest. 

A MOUNTAIN HUNT. 

One bright morning in August, Red Deer stood 
watching his mother as she worked at her loom. She 
was weaving cloth in blue and white stripes. She had 
made the thread of the fibres of the maguey plant. 

“ This cloth shall be made into a garment for you, 
Red Deer,” said his mother. “ You need a new one.” 

Red Deer nodded as he looked down at his shirt. It 
was faded and worn. Yes, he certainly needed a new 
garment. 

“ It will be ready for you to-morrow,” the woman 
added. 

This w r as not strange, for when the cloth w T as once 
made, little sewing would be needed to fashion the 
shirt. There were no sleeves to make nor fitting to be 
done. It would hang loosely from Red Deer’s shoul¬ 
ders to his knees. When he had slipped it over his head 
he would gather it around the waist with a belt. Then 
his toilet would be made. 

“ I have a new ribbon for your hair,” said his 
mother, as Red Deer turned to go away from the house. 


52 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


She left her loom and went to a basket hanging 
against the wall. From this basket she took out a 
bright red worsted ribbon. 

Eed Deer’s eves sparkled. He took great pains in 
arranging his long black hair. lie usually braided it, 
tied it with a yellow ribbon, and left it hanging down 
his back. 

A bright new ribbon delighted him as much as the 
daintiest silk necktie would a white dandy. 

His mother saw the look on her son’s face. It 
thanked her as much as words could have done. 

“ When your shirt is done, I must make some new 
cups,” she went on. 

Eed Deer looked over at the wall behind her. Sev¬ 
eral pretty bottles and bowls were hanging there. 
They were made of gourds neatly painted in differ¬ 
ent patterns. Smaller gourds would be needed for 
cups. 

“ I will go and get you some now,” said Eed Deer. 

He was a good son and often helped his mother in 
the work that belonged to her. 

When he had come back from the little garden with 
his arms full of gourds, he went to the wall and took 
down his bow and quiver of arrows. 

“ My son is going to hunt,” thought his mother. “ It 
may be that he will bring home some rabbits; perhaps 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


53 


he will look for snakes in the thick grass of the valley 
below us. Either those or a dish of rats would he good 
for supper, and we have not had any for many days. 
I do wish he would bring home some rats.” 

But Bed Deer was not thinking of either rats or 
snakes. lie had seen traces of deer near the lake. He 
had not been deer-liunting for some time. Broiled 
venison would be delicious, he thought. He was glad 
he had made some new arrows yesterday. 

When he reached the lake he saw no traces of deer 
at first. He looked carefully about him on every side. 
No, there was not the slightest mark of a deer’s hoofs 
on the ground. Neither were there any signs that these 
animals had been grazing there. 

The young hunter was about to give up and go home, 
when he happened to notice a great mass of fly’s eggs 
by the waterside. The eggs had been laid by the 
“ waterface ” fly. Bed Deer’s people were very fond 
of them. 

“ I will gather them and take them home to my 
mother,” the Indian said. “ When she has pounded 
them into a paste and fried them, they will make a 
dainty dish.” 

He set to work to collect the eggs. He was so busy 
that he had quite forgotten his search for deer, when he 
heard a rustling of leaves behind him. 


54 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Tn an instant lie picked up his bow from the ground 
and set an arrow. For, in turning his head, he had 
seen close at hand a large deer with handsome, well¬ 
shaped antlers. 

The noble animal was on his way to the lake to 
drink. If he was startled he might spring into the 
water and swim away so rapidly that the hunter’s 
arrow would not be able to reach him. 

Quick as thought the young Indian sprang in front 
of the animal. He was already pulling at his bow, 
when something happened for which he was not look¬ 
ing. The deer made a mad rush at him with antlers 
bent low for a furious attack. 

It was October and the time of the year when the 
deer are most dangerous. Their new antlers are fully 
grown and their spirits are strong. 

Instead of fleeing timidly from their enemies, at 
this time they sometimes even seek a quarrel. Later 
on the antlers drop off and the animals are then gentle 
and peaceful. 

Now, the sight of the hunter who had placed himself 
directly in the path seemed to madden the deer. He 
shook his head in anger as he drove down upon the 
Indian. 

There was no chance to shoot. Eed Deer knew he 
must act quickly if he would save himself. Those 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


55 


beautiful antlers were bony spurs ready to tear open 
bis vitals. IIow was lie to escape them ? 

lie sprang forward and seized the horns with all 
the strength he had in his arms. But they were driven 
forward with such force that he had all he could do to 
keep his feet. Thus a great wrestling match began. 

Bed Deer was tossed to and fro like a reed in the 
wind. Yet still he kept his hold, and still he kept him¬ 
self out of range of the deer’s hoofs. 

Every moment the animal seemed to grow more 
angry. Every moment the hunter was using up his 
strength and losing it. 

Then the deer gave an unexpected twist and turn, 
flinging his enemy on the ground at his feet. In an¬ 
other moment the Indian’s life would have ended if 
fresh strength had not come to him. 

Seizing a broken limb lying on the ground close by, 
he jumped to his feet. As the deer sprang towards 
him, he struck the furious animal a hard blow upon 
the nose. 

It was the deer’s tenderest spot. The blow stunned 
him and he reeled to one side. The hunter did not 
lose the precious moment he had thus gained. He 
quickly dealt blow after blow until the deer was stricken 
to the ground. 

Victory was with the hunter The prize was his. 


56 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS' 


Ked Deer stood panting beside bis victim.. He bad 
just escaped a fearful death. He knew it well. He 
felt very weak now that the battle was over,— weaker 
than he could remember ever being before. He must 
rest awhile before going home. 

He stretched himself on the shore of the lake and 
closed his eyes. He wondered what his mother would 
have thought if she had come and found his dead body. 
Would she have understood what caused his death,— 
that a deer had been more than a match for an Indian 
brave ? 

Ah! but a deer at this season of the year was no 
mean foe. He knew it now, though he had once 
sneered at the idea when he had heard other hunters’ 
stories of their strength and fury. 

In a few moments he began to feel better. He 
opened his eyes, stretched himself, and slowly got up. 
Then he made his way homeward, dragging the deer 
behind him. 


AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 

“ Here, mother.” 

Hed Deer’s mother sat in the doorway, weaving a 
basket of osiers. She w 7 as so busy at her work that she 
had not heard her son as he drew near. 

She looked up quickly and smiled, as he held out 


RED DEER, THE 0T0M1 HUNTER 


57 


to her a bunch of beautiful scarlet lilies. She was very 
fond of flowers. It was the way of her people. 

“ They will make a wreath for your hair/’ Red Deer 
said. 

The woman smiled and nodded again. Red flowers 
would look well on her black hair. She would wear 
them to the dance that very evening.' 

When Red Deer and his mother returned to their 
house from the dance that night, he told her he should 
start early the next morning after mountain sheep. He 
was going alone, for he loved to tramp among the steep 
crags and slopes with no company but himself. 

“ Before you wake I shall be gone,” he told her as 
he lay down on his mat to sleep. 

The next morning the sun had but just risen when 
the young hunter sprang from his bed and dressed 
hastily. Taking his bow and a quiver full of arrows, 
he went out into the morning air. The snow on the 
distant mountain tops was tinged with a rosy light. 

Red Deer drew a long breath. Truly the Great 
Father loved his people or he would not have given 
them such a beautiful world. So thought the young 
hunter, as with long, quiet strides he began his upward 
climb to the places where the sheep love to roam. 

The more lonely the spot, and the harder it was to 
reach, there the sheep felt the safer. Red Deer knew 


58 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


this well. lie had hunted them there in winter, for 
even then they did not seek the low lands, like deer 
and antelopes. 

He had sought them in the spring and summer, when 
the young lambs gamboled at their mothers’ sides. 
But he loved best of all to hunt them on the bright 
days of early autumn, when the clear sunshine seemed 
to bring every hiding-place to light. 

Hour after hour the young Indian tramped, and all 
the time his sharp eyes were on the lookout for game. 
Nothing could be seen, not even a trace, to show that 
sheep had been that way. 

The sun had traveled across the sky line since Red 
Deer left home, and now it was sinking over the west¬ 
ern mountains. 

“ I will not give up the hunt,” he thought. “ I will 
find a sheltered nook among the rocks and spend the 
night there. Then in the morning I shall be ready to 
continue my hunt.” 

He soon found a place where he could rest. For the 
first time that day he thought of eating, and 
opened a little package of dried maize. This, with a 
drink of cold water from a nearby spring, was his 
supper. 

How cold the night air was! The mountains round 
were wrapt in darkness. One by one the stars peeped 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


59 


out in the heavens and twinkled brightly. Ited Deer 
looked up at them and said to himself: 

“ They are good spirits and they will watch over 
me. I am not alone.” 

He wrapt his mantle around his body and was soon 
sound asleep. 

Only once during the night did he wake. A long, 
sharp cry rang out on the air. Red Deer started from 
his sleep and sprang to his feet. 

The cry was repeated. 

“ Ugh! ” thought Red Deer, “ I know what it is. 
In the forest below two tiger-cats are quarreling. 
Maybe one of them tried to steal the other’s prey.” 

Red Deer had killed more than one tiger-cat, or 
ocelot. The yellow fur striped with black was beauti¬ 
ful, and could be used for many things. The hori¬ 
zontal stripes on the animal’s back were different from 
those of any other beast. 

These animals have a very bad temper, as Red Deer 
knew. He had once found a family of the kittens and 
had taken two of them home with him. They were 
playful little things and very pretty. He did not keep 
them, however. When they were a little older they 
would bite and scratch. 

“ On my way home after my hunt for sheep I will 
look for those tiger-cats,” Red Deer said to himself, as 


60 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


he turned over to go to sleep. While he could still 
hear their long, shrill cries, his eyes closed and he knew 
nothing more till the morning light shone down upon 
him. 

Half an hour afterwards he was once more making 
his way over steep slopes and down through narrow 
passes. The morning passed by, noon came, and still 
Eed Deer climbed and watched. Hot a sheep was to 
be seen. 

Evening came. Once more the young hunter camped 
out among the rocks for his night’s sleep. lie was so 
tired that the cries of a dozen tiger-cats would not have 
waked him. 

The third day dawned. Eed Deer, refreshed by his 
long sleep in the bracing air, once again started out to 
hunt. 

He had not walked far before he saw the marks for 
which he had been looking so long. The sheep were 
near,— not one, but a whole flock. Of that Eed Deer 
was certain. 

He moved more cautiously now, looking up into the 
slopes and down into the valleys. Ten minutes later 
he saw the flock quietly grazing on the side of a cliff 
above him. A large ram with massive horns stood on 
guard. 

Eed Deer knelt down behind a rock and watched his 





RED DEER HUNTING MOUNTAIN SHEEP 
































RED DEER, TEE OTOMI HUNTER 


61 


chance. As soon as the rani’s head was turned the 
other way, the hunter darted forward and hid again. 
He did this several times till he was within easy shoot¬ 
ing range. 

So quietly did he move, that he was not noticed by 
a single one of the flock. 

How, taking plenty of time, he picked out one of 
the largest and fattest sheep and aimed for it. The 
next moment an arrow whizzed through the air and a 
sheep sprang up and fell to the ground. 

The guardian ram gave one keen look, then bounded 
away, with the rest of the flock following him in wild 
confusion. 

It hardly seemed a moment before they were all out 
of sight of the young hunter. 

Red Deer was satisfied, however. One such sheep 
as he had killed was all he could carry home. 

“ I will go back through the woods where I heard the 
tiger-cats crying the other night,” he said to himself as 
he lifted his load. “ It may be I shall find them, even 
though it is broad daylight.” 

He stepped lightly along with his heavy burden and 
soon entered the w T oods. A large hawk flew out from 
among the trees as he drew near. There was something 
in his mouth. 

“ Aha! ” thought Red Deer. “ The hawk has been 


62 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


busy with carrion. Maybe the tiger-cats have been 
feasting and left something for the birds.” 

He had taken only a few more steps when he noticed 
some small bones and a rabbit’s tail lying on the 
ground. 

When he saw these, Red Deer was sure he was on 
the right track. And when, a little farther on, he dis¬ 
covered the head of a freshly-killed squirrel, he laid 
down the sheep and began to look at the trees very 
closely. If there were any tiger-cats around they were 
probably among the low branches of the trees, looking 
for game. 

Ah! a branch moved lightly overhead. The Indian’s 
quick ear heard the rustling of the leaves and his keen 
eyes searched the shadows. 

A small object, about as large as a spaniel dog, was 
crouched near the end of a limb. Its shining eyes 
were fastened on the hunter. Its lips were drawn 
back from the sharp white teeth as though it were 
just ready to snarl. 

As Red Deer fixed his own eyes on the creature it 
did not move. Ro doubt it was afraid of the red man. 

“If it should give a sudden spring and land on my 
shoulders, it would not be pleasant,” he thought. 

Still with his eyes fixed on the tiger-cat, he placed 
an arrow on the string of his bow and prepared to 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


63 


shoot. The next minute a dead body fell to the ground. 
The arrow had done its work instantly, for it had en¬ 
tered the brain. 

“ The fur is pretty,” said Red Deer. “ The Great 
Spirit has marked the creature beautifully.” 

He stroked the soft fur thoughtfully. How differ¬ 
ent from one another all these living creatures were. 
This tiger-cat, for instance, was like no other animal 
he had ever seen. While its legs were spotted, the 
fur on its back was striped with horizontal black bands. 

“ Truly, the Great Spirit has thought much, in 
making this world and all the living beings upon it,” 
thought the young hunter. 

It was late that afternoon when Red Deer reached 
home. His mother stood in the doorway as he came 
down the path leading to the little house. 

She was very glad that he had brought the sheep, for 
there was no meat in the house. When she had taken 
it from her son, she turned to admire the tiger-cat. 

“ It is for you, mother,” Red Deer told her. “ You 
like to use the pretty fur.” 

A MEETING WITH A JAGUAR. 

Hot long after Red Deer killed the tiger-cat, an old 
hunter came to the house. He had just returned from 
a trip to the coast. 


64 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


He told of the great ocean that washed the shores, 
and of the ships of the white men that sailed on its 
waters. He spoke of the hot breezes of the lowlands 
and described the deep tropical forests where game 
was plentiful. 

“ Are antelopes to he found there ? ” asked Red 
Deer. 

“ Many of them,” was the reply. “ But you will 
also find their enemy, the jaguar, as well as tiger-cats 
and cougars. The hunter who enters those forests 
must be well armed. He must be ready to defend him¬ 
self at any moment.” 

As Bed Deer listened to the stories of the old man, 
he thought, “ I, too, will visit the forest below us. It 
is strange that I have always chosen the mountain slopes 
above us for my hunting, now I will see what animals 
I can find in the lowlands.” 

The young man set to work at once, making arrow 
heads and getting everything ready for a big hunt. 

His mother asked few questions, but she wondered 
if some friend was not going with her son. Why did 
he usually choose to go alone ? He would be much 
safer if he had a companion. 

But when the time came, Bed Deer started out with 
no company. It might be that he would go as far as 
the sea-shore; or perhaps he would have such good sue- 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


65 


cess in hunting that he would travel but a short distance. 
He could not tell. 

An hour’s journey brought him into the valley of 
Mexico. Then came a steady tramp downward. 

When Red Deer entered the forest he began to 
breathe freely, lie loved the darkness and the shad¬ 
ows. They were very pleasant to him. There were 
new trees to examine, new plants; and here and there, 
where the sunshine found its way into open spaces, 
flowers, sucli as he had never seen before, were bloom¬ 
ing. 

He listened to the songs of the birds in the treetops; 
he noted the insects that crept about on the moss and 
dead leaves. But most of all, he watched for traces 
of the game he was anxious to find, antelopes, deer, and 
goats. 

All the time his sharp ears and keen eyes were on the 
watch for the fiercer creatures. Unless he was always 
on his guard, they might take him unawares and he 
would never be heard of again. 

When night came, Red Deer used his flint and 
kindled a fire. It w T as pleasant company. Besides 
that, he was much safer when lying close to its bright 
flames. Wild creatures are afraid of fire. 

“ It is strange,” said the hunter, “ that all animals 
are afraid of fire. Why has the Great Father made 


66 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


them so? It must be that he wishes to give the red 
man this way of protecting himself when he is alone 
in the forest.” 

Several days passed by and Red Deer tramped and 
hunted. He found antelopes in plenty and many kinds 
of birds. No puma appeared to trouble him; not even 
a tiger-cat was seen among the trees. 

Tired hut happy, Red Deer was about to make a 
fire for his last night in the woods, when he heard a 
noise as though some large creature was moving through 
the thicket near by. The young hunter seized his bow 
and sprang up. 

Hot twenty feet away from him -was a large jaguar. 
The animal was coming straight towards him with 
long cat-like strides. Ho doubt he was hungry and 
had scented the game Red Deer had killed, which lay 
on the ground near by. 

Many thoughts rushed through Red Deer’s mind. 
Should he climb up into the nearest tree and let the 
jaguar go off with his game? Or should he make a 
stand to defend it ? If his arrow missed its mark, 
he would have a fearful enemy in that tiger-like 
beast. 

Ah! he could not let the jaguar rob him of his game. 
He must do his best. 

Ilis breath came quickly as he watched and waited. 


RED DEER, THE OTOMI HUNTER 


67 


It was of no use to shoot till the jaguar came out from 
the thicket in which he was hidden. 

He was a handsome animal. Ilis yellow fur, spotted 
and striped with black, was thick and glossy. His 
eyes were eager and cunning. His soft paws, in which 
long cruel claws were hidden, trod the ground with 
never a sound. Only the moving of the brush he 
pushed aside with his body had warned Red Deer of 
his approach. 

How, at last, he stood face to face with the hunter. 
He stopped suddenly. His eyes gleamed like balls of 
fire. He crouched to spring. 

The watched-for moment had come. Red Deer, 
eager, yet cool and quiet, shot his arrow with a steady 
hand. 

The jaguar sprang to one side with an angry snarl. 
He tottered for a moment. It was only for a moment, 
however. Then he seemed to draw himself together 
to make a desperate attack upon his enemy. 

That moment probably saved Red Deer’s life. It 
gave him time to get back from the jaguar’s clutches 
and to set another arrow. 

Just as the furious animal was about to spring, the 
hunter fired again. The arrow pierced the brute’s 
heart. His glaring eyes became dull, his head drooped, 
and his legs gave way under him. 


68 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS' 


Red Deer was safe. The most dangerous of the 
wild creatures of America lay dead at his feet. 

The young man drew a long breath. “If — ? ” he 
thought. 

That “if” meant much. If the jaguar’s strong 
paws had dealt him a single blow he would have been 
killed. Or if those strong jaws, armed with long sharp 
teeth, had once fastened themselves in his flesh, he 
would have known nothing more in this beautiful world 
he loved so well. 

But, after all, what was the use of thinking of these 
things ? He was unharmed and his game was safe. 
Again he drew a sigh of relief as he looked at the dead 
body of the jaguar and then at the game. 

He must take olf that beautiful spotted skin and 
carry it home to show his friends. They would praise 
him for his brave work. Everyone in the village would 
come to look at his prize and hear the story of the hunt. 

He would visit this forest again. He would yet 
travel to the sea-shore where the white man’s ships were. 
But not this time. He was satisfied to go home to¬ 
day, laden with the handsome skin of the jaguar and 
the game he had killed. 

Other hunting days were yet to come, bringing new 
dangers, perhaps, but new pleasures also. 


BIG ANTELOPE, 
The Apache Hunter 


B IG Antelope sat in the door of the cave, thinking. 

In front of him stretched a sandy desert. The 
air was hot and dry. Not a cloud was in the sky. 

The boy’s mother was getting dinner. She had just 
thrown an antelope steak among the glowing coals in 
the rough fireplace built near the cave. While the 
meat was still raw in the middle, it would be ready for 
her family to eat. She must watch, therefore, lest it 
cook too much. 

Big Antelope had moved from place to place ever 
since he was horn. He had never had a real home. 
Sometimes his people camped out in a cave, as they 
were doing now. Or, again, they put up a rough lodge 
by making a frame of poles and covering it with grass 
or skins. 

They were a warlike people, loving a lazy life and 
preferring to plunder others rather than to work them- 

69 



70 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


selves. Of course they had no gardens. They did not 
stay long enough in one place to raise any crops. 

Year in and year out, they fed on the flesh of ante¬ 
lopes, deer, and other game. It was no wonder, then, 
that the Apaches were not tall and shapely, like the 
tribes living on both grains and meat. Big Antelope 
had seen such Indians and he could not help admiring 
them. 

But just now he was not thinking of his size. In¬ 
side of his cave-home was a strange boy of his own age. 
This boy’s face was much gentler than his own, and 
the boy himself was tall and well-built. 

Three days ago, Big Antelope’s father had brought 
him home, a prisoner. The boy’s father had been 
killed by an Apache war party. His mother was also 
dead. 

“ He is a Havajo,” said the man. “ I like him. I 
will not kill him. He shall be a brother to Big Ante¬ 
lope.” 

At first the strange boy would not talk. He was 
very sad, for he was thinking of his dead parents and 
the comfortable home to the eastward. 

It was this boy that filled Big Antelope’s mind now. 
He was glad that his father had brought him a play¬ 
mate, but he wanted the new brother to talk and go 
horseback-riding and hunting with him. This sad, 


BIG ANTELOPE, TEE APACIIE HUNTER 71 


silent fellow almost made him angry. He shook his 
long, black hair and got np from the ground where he 
had been squatting. 

“ Call him to his food.” 

Big Antelope’s mother pointed to the inside of the 
cave as she spoke. 

Running Wolf, for that was the name his captors 
had given him, came slowly out into the sunlight. lie 
was not only taller than Big Antelope, but a white man 
would have said that he was better looking. 

He ate a little of the meat, without speaking, and 
then turned to go again into the darkness of the cave. 
But Big Antelope would not let him alone. 

“ Come with me,” he said, and he looked so fierce 
that the boy did not dare refuse. 

“ Let us ride towards the mountains,” Big Ante¬ 
lope continued, leading the way to where two ponies 
were cropping the scanty grass. 

Running Wolf had to pick his way carefully. Cacti 
were growing among the grass and they pricked his 
ankles. Big Antelope noticed it. 

“ To-morrow my mother shall make you moccasins 
like mine,” he said. 

He pointed to his own as he spoke. They were of 
stout buckskin and reached nearly to his knees. 

“ We have to wear moccasins like these,” he con- 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


n 

tinued. “It is because we live on the desert and rough 

t 

mountain sides.” 

Running Wolf spoke for the first time. 

“ My home is so different/’ he said. “ My people 
have many sheep. We live where the grass grows fine 
and thick for many miles around us.” 

“ Yes, I know/’ was the answer. “ My father has 
told me about your people. They stay a long time in 
one place and the women weave large blankets from 
the wool of the sheep. Yes, I know,” he repeated. 

The hoys now sprang upon the ponies. Big Ante¬ 
lope leading the way, they soon left the camp of the 
Apaches behind them. 

“ We will look around to-day,” he told Running 
Wolf. “ We will find out where many antelopes are 
feeding. Then to-morrow we will hunt them.” 

Running Wolf was interested. He began to like 
Big Antelope. He thought that, after all, it was 
pleasanter to be riding through the country with an¬ 
other boy, than staying in the dark cave alone with his 
sad thoughts. 

They were riding slowly over a stretch of sand when 
Running Wolf suddenly called out to his companion: 

u Come and look at this curious creature. His back 
is marked with the very pattern of a blanket that my 
mother wove.” 


BIG ANTELOPE , THE APACHE HUNTER 73 


Big Antelope turned his pony’s head and came to 
the place where Running Wolf had stopped. There, 
on a big stone, lay the strangest looking lizard he had 
ever seen. 

* 

It was what the white men call the Gila Monster. 
It was slow and clumsy in its movements. Its back 
was marked with such a showy pattern that the Indian 
boy wondered he could have passed by without notic¬ 
ing it. 

“ Why-y,” he exclaimed, jumping down from his 
pony to examine the lizard. “ He must have had 
plenty to eat, for he looks as though his body were 
stuffed full. I don’t see how he ever moves fast enough 
to catch anything alive.” 

“ At first, I thought his back was covered with shin¬ 
ing black and yellow beads,” said Running Wolf. 
“ Then I saw that it was not so; the lizard must have 
grown in this way.” 

“ Ugh! ” grunted Big Antelope a minute afterwards. 
At the same time he scowled with pain. “ The lizard 
has bitten me. I did not think he could move fast 
enough to do me any harm. I hope the wound is not 
poisonous.” 

The pain was getting worse and his hand began to 
swell, so the boys thought it best to turn their ponies’ 
heads homeward without delay. 


74 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ Hm! ” Big Antelope’s father muttered, when he 
heard the story of the lizard. “ A bad bite! But it 
will not kill my son. He will have a sore hand, a very 
sore hand, for two or three days. Then he will be 
well again. With a frog it would have been different. 
The bite of the lizard means death to such creatures.” 
i Big Antelope did not feel like hunting the next day. 
Indian though he was, and belonging to one of the 
fiercest tribes in the country, he could not forget the 
pain in his hand. By the time he had grown to man¬ 
hood he would be better trained to endure suffering. 

“ Tell me stories of your home,” he said to Bun- 
ning Wolf. “ I have nothing to do.” 

The young Hava jo was quite willing. He described 
the sheep he had helped his father tend. They were 
not raised for food, yet when they were old and the 
wool was no longer thick, they were killed and the 
flesh was eaten. The people thought it very good. 

“ Yes, I know,” Big Antelope said. “ My father 
lias plundered the Navajo of their sheep many times. 
Sometimes, too, he has traded buckskins for the sheep. 
He once bought my mother a blanket made by a Navajo 
woman. It was big and soft and had pretty colors.” 

“ Your mother has little work,” said Bunning Wolf. 
“ She tans the skins of the deer and antelopes your 
father brings home. She makes your blankets and 


BIG ANTELOPETHE APACHE HUNTER 75 


moccasins out of those skins. She cooks the meat for 
your dinner. That is all. 

“ But my mother was busy many hours each day. 
She spun the wool of the sheep and dyed it differ¬ 
ent colors. She had a big frame in which she wove 
the wool in and out, in and out, in a pretty pattern. 
So! ” 

Running Wolf marked the sand beside him into 
diamonds. 

“ Or perhaps she marked it in this way.” 

The boy made a number of parallel lines. 

“ I liked the first best,” he added. 

“ Some of the blankets were blue and yellow, but 
the red and black ones were the prettiest. I liked 
those very much. 

“ My mother had to make her own dyes, of course. 
She used different things that grow in the ground. 
The wool she colored stayed just the same and did not 
fade. Yes, after many years it was so. I know it, 
for she said so.” 

“ I should like such a blanket for my own,” said 
Big Antelope. “ It must be soft and warm.” 

The boy of the Apaches sighed a little. He had to 
get used to so many things, the sharp, cold winds of 
winter, as well as the burning heat of summer, Some¬ 
times he had plenty to eat, but, again, there were many 


76 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


days when his stomach cried for food and he could not 
stop the cry. He thought the Hava jo must be very 
comfortable with their flocks and gardens. They had 
to work, however, to have these things, and like the 
rest of his people, he hated work. It was so much 
pleasanter to stretch oneself on the ground, or play 
games, or go riding on one’s pony. Running Wolf in¬ 
terrupted him in his thoughts. 

“ My mother did other beautiful work besides blanket 
weaving,” he said proudly. “ She sewed feathers on 
skins in pretty patterns. It took a long time to do this. 
I used to go with my father to shoot the birds from 
which the feathers were taken. Many a bagful have I 
brought home.” 

“ You spoke wrongly when you said my mother does 
nothing but cook our food and make our clothes,” said 
Big Antelope, after a while. “ I know you have not 
been with us long, but you must be blind if you have 
not noticed the beautiful baskets my mother uses. She 
made every one of them herself. Some are of one 
shape and some of another. We could not keep house 
without them. 

“ I like one of the baskets better than any of the 

others. It has butterflies worked into the pattern. 

They look as though theiy wings were spread to fly 

away. Then there is another in which the form of a 

/ 


BIG ANTELOPETHE APACHE HUNTER 77 


rattlesnake is woven in the splints. It is wonderful 
to me that my mother can do such work. 

“ She is busiest in the earliest springtime. Then 
she goes out into the woods, sometimes many miles 
away, and cuts down the slender reeds and the young 
twigs in which the sap is flowing. They can be bent 
most easily at that time. She gathers sweet-smelling 
grasses and the roots of certain plants. She brings all 
these things home and spends a long time in preparing 
them for her weaving. 

“ I have watched her many a time at her work. She 
takes the twigs and splits them up into long thin 
withes. She soaks these in water so they can he bent 
and woven without breaking. She cleans the roots 
and sorts out the grasses. She makes some of the 
baskets so fine and close that they will hold water. 
Others are so large that our clothing is packed away in 
them. 

“ She is very patient. I do not understand it my¬ 
self. When I am not hunting or riding about, I like 
to be idle.” 

Big Antelope yawned. Then he added, “ But tell 
me, Running Wolf, didn’t you get tired of living in 
one place for a long time? I am ready to move 
again by the time we have been a week in camp. I 
want to have a change and see something different.” 


78 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ No, indeed. The country around us is beautiful 
and I love it,” sighed Running Wolf. “ We do not 
care much for change.” 

THE ANTELOPE HUNT. 

In a day or two, when Big Antelope’s hand was 
quite well again, his father told the two boys that they 
might go hunting with him. There was nothing to 
eat and they needed food. 

“ I have discovered a herd of antelopes feeding,” 
said he. “ Come, make ready. There is no time to 
lose.” 

The boy hurried into his cave-home and brought out 
three antelope skins. The heads and horns were still 
on them. He handed one of them to his father and 
another to Running Wolf. The third one was for 
himself. They would be needed in the coming hunt. 

“ No horses,” said his father. “ The antelopes 
might scent them and be frightened away. We will 
go on foot. It is not too far.” 

Carrying their boAvs and arrows, together with the 
antelope skins, the three hunters started out. At first 
they did not need to be quiet. But in a few minutes 
Big Antelope’s father held up a warning hand. 

“ list!” he said, in a low tone, and pointed ahead. 

Away in the distance the boys could faintly see 


BIG ANTELOPE, THE APACHE HUNTER 79 


some objects moving about on tlie plain. They were 
a herd of antelopes. 

“ Quicker! softer !” said the hunter, and the moc- 
casined feet of the boys sped noiselessly, but with all 
speed possible, behind those of the man. 

Suddenly a peculiar noise sounded close to Big Ante¬ 
lope’s feet. He sprang to one side just in time to es¬ 
cape the bite of a rattlesnake on which he had trod. 

His father had heard the sound and turned quickly 
around. He cut off the snake’s head with his spear 
before it had a chance to dart its poisoned fangs at 
him. Then the man turned to his son. 

“ Careless boy! ” he said with an angry scowl. 
“‘Indians use their eyes. Look more carefully. 
Time for the skins now,” he added. “ Then bend 
low.” 

In another moment anyone would have thought that 
some fairy had come along and changed the three 
hunters into as many antelopes. 

They moved more slowly after this. Some of the 
herd would soon discover them and think friends of 
their own kind were coming to join them. But if 
they were quick in their motions the antelopes might 
imagine they were fleeing from danger and themselves 
take fright. 

All! The leader of the herd raised his head and 


80 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


sniffed the air. There was nothing wrong, he thought, 
and went on feeding. 

Stealthily, oh so stealthily, the hows were lifted and 
the arrows set. Each of the hunters had chosen one of 
the herd as his prey. The watched-for word was 
given to the boys and the arrows sped to the marks. 

Down dropped two of the antelopes. A third one 
was wounded, hut he was still able to run with the rest 
of the frightened herd. They made long leaps as they 
went, carrying their heads low. 

Before they had reached a safe distance, however, 
one of their number was pierced by an arrow Big 
Antelope’s father sent after the flying herd. With 
one toss of its beautiful head the creature sprang into 
the air and fell to the ground. 

“ I should not have hit him,” the hunter afterwards 
told his friends around the campfire, “ If it had not 
been for the white hair on the antelope’s rump. It 
was raised straight up in the air, as always happens 
when the animal is fleeing.” 

The hunt was now over. The older Indian, with 
his two helpers, proceeded to collect their prey. What 
beautiful creatures these were, with their noble heads 
and graceful limbs! It seemed too bad to kill them 
for the little flesh they had. 

The horns were curiously shaped and were pronged. 


BIG ANTELOPE, THE APACHE HUNTER 81 


That is why the animals were called prong-horned 
antelopes, or prong-horns. 

“ When I first looked at them it seemed as though 
they wore brown cloaks thrown over their white bodies,” 
Running Wolf told his foster-brother. 

“ I have thought the same thing,” was the answer. 
“ It is good for us that the cloak is no larger and that 
it does not reach to the tail. If it did, we could not 
see so plainly where to aim. 

A STRANGE SIGHT. 

Time passed and Running Wolf became used to his 
wild life among the Apaches. lie and Big Antelope 
were now young warriors. They listened eagerly to 
the stories of the older men and joined them in their 
war parties. 

They took long tramps across desert places, going 
without water or food for many hours. They learned 
to bear hunger and thirst without complaining. 

They climbed among the mountains after wild sheep 
and goats, creeping along the sides of steep precipices 
where white men could not have kept their foothold. 
They were chased by packs of hungry wolves more 
than once. 

They encountered the fierce mountain lion in places 
where they could not flee for safety but must keep their 


82 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


lives with bow and spear. They had many an excit¬ 
ing adventure together, and both of them bore the 
scars of battles with wild beasts. 

One night they returned late to the camp. Already 
the howling of wolves could be heard in the distance. 
More than once Big Antelope’s mother had looked out 
to see if her son was coming. She knew that he and 
Running Wolf had gone up into the mountains. She 
asked herself what kept them now that the sun was 
out of sight. 

But she had no need to fear. They soon appeared, 
and Big Antelope handed her the skin of a puma, or 
mountain lion. She looked at her son with pride in 
her wild black eyes. 

At first the young men had met with no success. 
They found neither sheep nor goats, though they 
tramped about, hour after hour, over the rocky path¬ 
ways. Then they entered a narrow pass, between 
steep cliffs, and were crawling along on hands and 
feet. There was a sudden bend in the pass just ahead 
of them. As they reached it a strange sight met 
their eyes. 

Directly ahead, with his back to the young Indians, 
stood a mountain lion. His fore feet were fixed upon 
the rock as though ready to spring, yet he did not 
move. It seemed as though he was paralyzed with 



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BIG ANTELOPE AND THE MOUNTAIN LION 




































































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BIG ANTELOPE, THE APACHE HUNTER 83 


fear at the sight in front of him. There, only a few 
feet away, stood a buck of unusual size. His head was 
bent down ready to charge if the puma made the slight¬ 
est motion to come a step nearer. Behind the buck a 
procession of goats was strung out. Their leader was 
defending them against their fiercest enemy. 

“ Coward! ” thought Big Antelope, as he looked 
at the puma. “ The beast is scared by a pair of horns. 
But he won’t long have a chance to he scared.” 

The hunter knelt down. Then, bracing himself by 
the side of the rocky wall lest he should slip, he sent 
an arrow into the back of the puma. 

With a cry of rage the animal turned in the narrow 
path. In another instant he would have sprung upon 
the Indian if another arrow had not immediately en¬ 
tered his forehead. He lurched to one side and fell 
over the cliff. 

As for the goats, they did not linger after they once 
caught sight of the hunters. The leader faced about 
and, at some sign from him which his flock seemed to 
understand, they turned and darted away down the 
steep mountain side. They soon disappeared from the 
sight of the hunters. 

“ We must have the puma’s skin,” declared Big 
Antelope. “ I will not go home without it.” 

But the dead puma lay far below at the foot of the 


84 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


cliff. Nevertheless the hunters set out to find the body. 
Slowly at first, and with careful steps, the two Indians 
made their way down the narrow path. All the time 
their watchful eyes w 7 ere on the lookout for the goats. 
The flock they had seen was doubtless scaling some 
other difficult pass by this time. It was now too late 
to look for them. 

After some search the body of the puma was found. 
The hunters felt of the soft rich fur; they turned the 
head to look at the really beautiful face; they exam¬ 
ined the sharp teeth and claws. Both of them won¬ 
dered that, even for a moment, the puma had stood 
still before a mountain goat. 

“ But it would not have been for long,” Big Ante¬ 
lope declared. “ Then, woe to the brave buck, stand¬ 
ing in defence of his flock!” 

“ My father once came upon the den of a mother 
puma,” he continued. “ It was a little cave in a rock. 
The mother was away, and the four little ones, nestled 
there, looked like beautiful cats covered with spotted 
fur. 

“ lie took them all and then hurried away. ITe 
was not eager to meet the mother after she had been 
robbed of her family.” 

“ Hid he kill them ? Yes, of course he did, and I 
know why,” said Running Wolf. 


BIG ANTELOPE, THE APACHE HUNTER 85 


“ Of course. Baby pumas grow up into big ones 
that kill the slieep and goats. Besides, my mother 
can use the fur, even of little pumas.” 

While the hunters were talking they were not idle. 
They were busy cutting away the puma’s skin. The 
work was soon done and they started for home. The 
shadows of evening were already falling. They hur¬ 
ried along the stony way with all speed. They did 
not care to be overtaken in those lonely regions by the 
darkness of a moonless night. 

AN EAGLETS NEST. 

A day or two afterwards some of the men of the 
camp went away on horseback. They carried spears 
and shields as well as bows and arrows. They traveled 
in the direction of a distant village of the Navajo. 
Running Wolf watched them till they had disappeared 
in the distance. He thought: 

“ I know their plan. They are going to plunder. 
Perhaps it is people of my own tribe they are about 
to attack.” 

By this time he had been among the Apaches so 
many years that he had grown to feel that he belonged 
among these wild men of the desert and mountain. 
Yet now and then a longing came over him to share 
the peaceful life of the Navajo. 


86 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


By the time the war party was out of sight the men 
left in the camp decided to go on a hunt after wild 
sheep. Big Antelope and Running Wolf went with 
them. Carrying only their hows and arrows, and 
wearing their stoutest moccasins, they started on a 
rough and hard climb up the mountain side. 

In and out among the rocks moved the hunters, up 
steep slopes and down into narrow ravines. But they 
met with no success. They did not complain, for 
such is not the way with Indians, even when suffering 
the greatest hardships. Rot one of the party spoke of 
hunger, though none of them had yet tasted food that 
day. They were thirsty, too. The hot dry air blew 
in their faces and the sun beat down upon their heads. 
On they went, steadily, patiently. 

At length, when it seemed as if there was no use in 
continuing the hunt that day, Big Antelope caught a 
sudden view of the game he was seeking. It was a 
mountain goat, of large size, with immense curling 
horns. White men of to-day speak of such a goat as 
a “ Big-horn,” and take delight in hunting it. Indeed, 
they have hunted it so persistently with their rifles 
that no big-horns are now left in that part of the 
country where Big Antelope had his home. 

The goat stood on a little knoll, quietly feeding on 
the short, coarse grass of the mountain side. If he had 


BIG ANTELOPE, THE APACHE HUNTER 87 


heard the slightest sound, he would have bounded away 
with great speed; his strong, sure feet would have car¬ 
ried him over steep and dangerous slopes where not 
even the Indian hunters dared to follow. 

But he did not hear the enemy, nor did he see them 
draw near. Big Antelope’s speedy arrow pierced his 
heart before he had a chance to take fright. 

The hunters examined the big-horn with delight. 
He was as fat and plump as though he,had been feeding 
on the richest and most plentiful grass, rather than 
the coarse, dry herbage of the mountains. 

“ I have never yet seen any baby lambs,” Big Ante¬ 
lope said to Running Wolf as they went on their home¬ 
ward way. “ They are born far up near the tops of 
the mountains, in places where it is almost impossible 
for men to climb. The eagle is the worst enemy of the 
young lambs. If he succeeds in finding one he will 
carry it to his nest. There he can devour it without 
being disturbed.” 

“ Look! ” exclaimed Running Wolf. “ There is an 
eagle now! ” 

Bar overhead, almost touching the sky it seemed, was 
a dark object circling round and round in wide sweeps. 

“ I want some new feathers. Let us watch. It may 
be he will fly down within arrow shot,” was the an¬ 


swer. 


88 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


From the time Big Antelope was a baby beginning to 
walk, be loved to watch the long tail feathers of an 
eagle which waved proudly from the top of his father’s 
head. 

“ How noble he looks! ” thought the child. 

He, too, would wear eagle feathers as soon as ho 
was old enough. 

The two young men stood watching the great bird. 
Round and round it swept, yet each circle brought it 
nearer to the earth. 

And now the hunters saw that the eagle was pre¬ 
paring to swoop down upon some object. A r es, there 
was a stray lamb in the valley below them. It must 
have wandered away from the flock. The little creat¬ 
ure, ignorant of danger, was frolicking among the 
rocks. 

Down swooped the great bird, with wide outstretched 
wings. Down, down he came, with talons ready to 
clutch his prey. His sharp beak was already fastened 
in the poor little lamb’s neck, and his talons held its 
sides, when an arrow was sent to him, straight from the 
how of Big Antelope. It reached the mark. The 
broad wings drooped, the talons loosed their clutch. 
That eagle would never again attack a helpless lamb, 

A second arrow, from the bow of Running Wolf, 
pierced the side of the lamb. It was so overcome with 


BIG ANTELOPE, THE APACHE HUNTER 89 


fright by the sudden grip of the eagle that it scarcely 
moved when the talons released their hold. 

The rest of the party came up just as the young men 
were about to climb down the wall that separated them 
from the valley below. 

The others had met with no success. They praised 
Big Antelope and Running Wolf for what they had 
done. 

“ Good Indians, both! ” declared one of the men. 
And he looked at the two young hunters with approval. 
“ Good Indians! You deserve to wear the feathers of 
the eagle.” 

“ More sheep must be near by,” declared another of 
the party, as he looked at the dead lamb. “ Enough for 
to-day, however,” he continued. 

They were all tired and very, very hungry. They 
were only too glad to give up any further hunting for 
the present. 

Many a time during the tramp home, Big Antelope 
looked with pride at the eagle he was carrying. The 
tail feathers were long and handsome. Before another 
day passed they should wave in glory above his head. 
And the maidens of his tribe would look upon him 
with favor. 


NAMPAH, 
The Snake Hunter 


Um-i,!” 

V-/ Hampali drew a long sigh. He was tired of 
sitting still and making arrows, but lie did not know 
what else to do. His mother heard the sigh. She was 
sitting in the doorway of the lodge, weaving a mat. 

“ What is the matter, Hampah ? ” she asked. “ Are 
you tired ? Why don’t you go rabbit hunting ? How 
is the time of year when they are fat and tender. If 
you get any, I will cook some for your supper and you 
shall have a little cloak from the skins.” 

But Hampah shook his head. He was only eight 
years old and he did not wish to go hunting alone. He 
turned his eyes towards the great Bocky Mountains in 
the distance. Their tops were covered with snow and 
they looked very lonely. He, too, was lonely. 

He was the only boy in the lodge. He wished for 
a brother who would be with him all day long and 

91 



92 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


sleep with him through the night. Ilis mother must 
have known what he was thinking about. 

“ Go over to Buffalo Calf’s lodge,” she said. “ Ask 
him to hunt with you. But, even if he goes, you must 
not stray far into the woods, my son. You might meet 
wolves or, worse still, the fierce grizzly might come 
upon you and take you by surprise.” 

( Ha mp ah’s dark brown face looked brighter. Yes, 
perhaps Buffalo Calf would like to take a tramp with 
him. 

Then he would have a chance to try the arrows he 
had just been making. He had hardened the tips with 
fire. By and by, when he grew older, he would not be 
satisfied to make them in this way. Then he would 
tip them with flint, as his father did. Then,- too, he 
would poison some of them by sticking the tips into a 
piece of liver that had been bitten by a rattlesnake. 

Putting his arrows into the skin quiver that hung by 
his side, the boy got up and started for his friend’s 
lodge. 

Buffalo Calf was four years older than Hampah, but 
he was quite willing to go with him on an afternoon 
tramp into the woods. 

Who could tell what they might find ? Perhaps they 
would discover a family of baby squirrels in some old 
hollow tree. Or maybe they might come upon a stray 


NAM PAH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


93 


deer or a porcupine. At any rate, they could certainly 
get some rabbits. 

The Indian camp stood on the edge of a great plain 
where herds of buffalo wandered from time to time. 
But to the west of Nampah’s people were deep forests 
and high hills. Beyond these were the mountains 
whose tops were covered with snow and ice the whole 
year round. 

Hampah had never seen, or even heard of, any white 
men. All he ever feared were the people of other 
tribes of Indians, who were sometimes at war with his 
own, and that fierce and terrible animal, the grizzly 
bear. 

He and Buffalo Calf had soon left the camp and 
entered the woods of pine and sweet-smelling cedar 
trees. 

As Nampah left the sunlight behind him, he almost 
stepped on a small green lizard, curled up against the 
trunk of a fallen tree. The lizard scuttled away before 
the red boy could do him any harm. 

“ I hear birds in the branches over our heads,” re¬ 
marked Buffalo Calf. “ But we had best not try to 
shoot any now. Let us look for bigger game. Keep 
two arrows ready in your hand, Nampah, just as the 
men do. Then you cannot be taken by surprise.” 

The two lads crept softly along through the brush. 


94 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


They turned their eyes quickly from side to side, seeing 
hundreds of things that a white boy would have passed 
by without the slightest notice. They saw where 
berries had been picked and where leaves had been 
plucked from the bushes. 

“ Look out for a burrow,” said Buffalo Calf. 
“ There are rabbit tracks all about us.” 

As he spoke these words there was a sudden zip! A 
long, gray streak darted ahead of them and disappeared 
in the thicket. 

Aampah had almost stumbled upon a mother rabbit 
that had been crouching in the dead leaves covering 
the ground. With unwinking eyes she had been watch¬ 
ing the boys draw near, her legs all ready for the spring 
to safety. 

“ Too late! We can’t get her now, but perhaps we 
can find her house and little ones yet,” whispered Buf¬ 
falo Calf. 

The boys turned to the direction in which the rabbit 
had fled. Before long they noticed a small hole in 
the ground, directly under a large tree. It slanted in 
under the trunk, and the spreading roots of the tree, 
near the surface, almost hid it from sight. 

“Ilm! A rabbit burrow,” said LTampah. “Let’s 
dig it out.” 

They set to work, but what they proposed was not 


N AMP All, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


95 


an easy matter. After some very hard digging, how¬ 
ever, they could just barely see what was inside. 

It was a rabbit nest, well lined with the warm hair 
of a mother rabbit. Curled up in this comfortable lit¬ 
tle home was a large, gray rabbit with her eight chil¬ 
dren. Their eyes had not yet opened and their tiny 

little bodies were quite naked. 

“ They can’t he more than two days old,” said Buf¬ 
falo Calf. 

“ How scared the mother looks! She knows she 
can’t escape.” 

As Nampah spoke, his black eyes were full of pity. 
He, a Snake Indian, was sorry for a poor helpless rab¬ 
bit ! 

It was not the way of his people, for they were 

cruel and pitiless. But then, Nampah was only eight 

years old and he had many lessons to learn yet. This is 
the way his parents thought about such matters. 

“ Those babies aren’t good for food,” replied Buf¬ 
falo Calf. “ Let’s kill them, though. I’ll shoot one and 
then you can have your turn.” 

The older boy raised his how and set an arrow to the 
string. 

“ No, no! ” hastily cried Nampah. “ We shall have 
plenty of other things to shoot yet. Let them alone.” 

Buffalo Calf was astonished, and he showed it in his 


96 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


face. But Nampah seemed so much in earnest that he 
did not shoot. 

“ I won’t do it then/’ he said. “ And I won’t tell 
your father what a soft heart you have, either. All 
right, come along. Maybe a polecat will get them 
yet.” 

The boys were rewarded for their mercy, for in less 
than an hour they had killed four grown rabbits and 
one jack-rabbit. 

Jack-rabbits were not very common in the woods near 
the home of the hoys. Besides, they were very hard 
to shoot, for they took really enormous leaps, with such 
rapidity that it was only by accident that the Indian 
boys could ever hit them. 

“ What long ears he has,” said Hampah, stretching 
one of them out and smoothing it between his hands. 
“ He certainly ought to hear well. If it only depended 
on his hearing, his enemies would never catch him.” 

Buffalo Calf smiled grimly as his father would have 
done. Tie was of the age to try to copy the ways of 
the older Indians. 

“ This jack-rabbit didn’t hear well, at any rate,” he 
said. 

“ Shall we go home now? ” asked Hampak. 

u Sh! Don’t move. Look up there in the crotch of 
that tree,” was the whispered answer. 


NAMP AH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


97 


Nampah looked up and saw a queer-looking little 
creature above liis head. It looked like a ball of quills, 
among which the boys could faintly see the yellow 
hair. It did not move, but crouched down on the limb 
of the tree. 

“ The porcupine has eaten nearly all the bark off 
that big branch. If I had not first noticed that, I 
shouldn’t have seen him.” 

As Buffalo Calf said the last word he pulled his 
bowstring, and an arrow sped upward. Instantly the 
porcupine fell at Nampah’s feet. Never again would 
he raise his quills to defend himself. 

“ Stupid thing! ” said Buffalo Calf, giving the dead 
body a kick with his foot. “ Stupid things like por¬ 
cupines can never hurt us. They are too big cowards.” 

“ But they hurt other animals sometimes,” replied 
Nampah. “ My father once found a dead mountain 
lion in the woods. Its mouth was filled with quills of 
a porcupine which it had recklessly bitten. The lion 
must have starved to death because it could not eat, its 
mouth was so sore from the quills sticking into its lips 
and jaws.” 

The boys now turned to go home. It was quite time. 
The sun was already setting and the shadows were grow¬ 
ing longer every moment. 

More than once Nampah turned to look behind him, 


98 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


for tlie wolves would be waking for their nightly prowl. 

“ Did you hear that howl ? ” he whispered to Buffalo 
Calf. The boys were still in the woods. 

“ Howl! That was only the cry of a coon. Be a 
brave Indian, Hampah. Sometime you will be a war¬ 
rior and a hunter. You must keep fear away from 
your heart now.” 

Hampah did not speak again till he reached home. 
He was ashamed of himself now. Eight years old, and 
still afraid of the sounds of the forest! It would never 
do. He must learn better than this from the teachings 
of his stern, brave father. 

The years went by quickly. At every birthday 
Yampah measured himself against a notch in a nearby 
tree. He was growing fast, yet he would never be a 
tall man. It was not the nature of his people to he 
tall. 

He listened eagerly to the tales of the hunters and 
warriors of his tribe. Each year he had less fear of 
unfriendly Indians and the wild beasts of the forest 
and plain. 

How he was able to join in the buffalo hunt and do 
his part in bringing food and furs into the camp. Half 
the skins forming the lodge were from the buffaloes he 
had killed himself. 

He had rich garments that made him admired by 


NAMP All, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


99 


all the small boys of the camp. His mother had made 
them from the skins of animals which he had brought 
down with his own bow and arrows. 

His long outer robe was fashioned from the skin of a 
buffalo with the fur still on it. It was so warm that 
on the coldest days of winter he was quite comfortable 
with this wrapped about him. 

Then, too, he had a short cloak with a collar of otter 
skin. From this collar dangled at least a hundred 
strips of fine white fur. Each one of these strips had 
been taken from the back of an ermine to which the 
head and tail had been left hanging. 

The young man’s shirt was of tanned deerskin. It 
was trimmed with a fringe and colored porcupine quills. 
His leggins were made from the skin of an antelope, 
and his moccasins were of dressed hide, in summer, and 
the heavy fur of the buffalo, in winter. 

Hampah’s mother was certainly a busy woman, when 
she kept her husband and son so grandly dressed. 

Even now Hampah was not satisfied. He wished 
for a richer trimming of ermine for his cloak. A hun¬ 
dred strips did not make it elegant enough. He must 
have at least fifty more if his dress was to be as fine as 
Buffalo Calf’s. Besides, he wanted some handsome 
eagle’s feathers to wear in his hair when he had earned 
the right. Decidedly, he could not afford to be idle. 


1. Of C, 


100 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


So, with his bow and arrows and a sharp lance, he 
went into the woods. His mother had put some dried 
buffalo meat into his pouch, for he might be away from 
the camp several days. He wished most of all to find 
ermine, but he was ready for any other animal which 
might appear. 

As he went on his way he thought of the last war 
party. He was sure he had behaved himself as bravely 
as any of the others. He had brought home the scalps 
of two enemies. It is true he had been chased a long 
distance. If he had not been such a good runner he 
would have been caught and killed. 

At that time he had worn no shield, but now he 
thought with pride of the one he owned. 

“ Whenever I carry that shield no one can harm me,” 
he thought to himself. “ The arrow that strikes it will 
bounce off.” 

Hampah’s father had brought home the material for 
this magic shield. He had killed a male buffalo two 
years old. Giving it to Nampak he had said, “ Take 
the hide while it is still fresh and prepare it at once.” 

The young man set to work and dug a hole in the 
ground, which he filled with red-hot stones. He poured 
water over these hot stones until a thick steam arose. 
Then he, and as many of his friends as could get hold, 
pulled and stretched the hide over the rising steam. 



NAMPAH AND THE GRIZZLY BEAR 



























































































N AMP AH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


101 


When this had been done for some time, the hair conld 
be pulled away from the skin very easily. 

All this time the steam was causing the hide to 
shrink. It became smaller and smaller. At last, 
when it was the right size for the shield, it was taken 
away and laid upon another hide. Then all the young 
men took otf their moccasins and began to pound it 
with their bare feet. 

When the ceremonies were over the shield had be¬ 
come a magic one. It would now protect the life of 
the owner from any danger which might come to him. 

“ Yes, I am safe when I wear that,” said Nampah, 
“ but I do not need it in my hunting trips. No, no! ” 
Then he added, “ That is, unless I should have a close 
struggle with a grizzly bear.” 

The young hunter had scarcely crossed the border¬ 
land between plain and forest when he came upon a 
strange sight. Two elks were locked together by their 
long, sharp horns. They were pulling and tugging 
furiously. Nampah took a stand at a safe distance 
and watched the struggle. 

“ Ugh! They can’t get away from each other,” he 
muttered. “ They will try in vain, and when they are 
too weak to keep it up any longer they will fall down 
and starve to death.” 

As he stood and watched them he wondered how this 


102 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


had happened. Were the elks only sparring in sport 
at first ? Or had they rushed at each other in anger ? 

It was now September, the season of the year when 
the new horns are fully formed. At this time the elks 
are high-spirited and ready for a fight with any other 
creature. 

“ I will settle the matter for them/’ said Nampah. 
“ Elk meat will make a good dinner.” 

The hunter felt perfectly safe, however, and he was 
in no hurry to bring down his big game. Neither of 
them could get away. 

“ They are like two noble chiefs,” he thought. 
“What handsome manes they have! What shapely 
antlers! What graceful legs! Truly, they are the 
noblest of all deer. The struggle between such creatures 
is worth watching.” 

He squatted down under a tree, laying his bow on 
the ground beside him. 

The breathing of the elks became shorter and shorter. 
Their eyes flashed fire. They rocked from side to side 
and the ground shook beneath their feet. 

At last one of them gave a sudden twist and the two 
royal creatures rolled on the ground, still locked to¬ 
gether by their horns. 

All the while neither of them had paid the slightest 
attention to the red man standing so near them. But 


N AMP AH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


103 


Hampah thought it was now time to settle the dispute. 
He slowly rose and adjusted his arrows. Then, going 
close up to the fighters, he sent his shafts into their 
hearts. 

The death struggle was quickly over. 

“ If I were going home now, I would carry plenty 
of fresh steak. As it is, I will make a hole in the 
ground and bury the best of the meat. It will keep till 
I come back,” Hampali said to himself. 

After putting a thick slice of the elk-venison into his 
pouch, the young hunter went on his way. There were 
traces of rabbits and squirrels everywhere about him, 
but he did not care for such game. 

“ All right for little boys,” he said, “ but not for 
men hunters.” 

He was glad to see the marks, though. 

“ Where there are many rabbits, there, too, will be 
ermine,” he thought. “ The ermine is a brave little 
fighter. With his sharp teeth to aid him, he will at¬ 
tack creatures much larger than himself. And once 
he has sucked the blood of a rabbit or partridge, he be¬ 
comes furious for other prey.” 

Just then two rabbits came hurrying through the 
brushwood. Close upon them was a small animal 
whose body was covered with beautiful white fur, 
but the tip of its tail was quite black. 


104 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


It was the wished-for ermine. 

As quick as thought, an arrow Hew from Hampah’s 
bow. The poor little rabbits were safe for this time, at 
least. 

“ Hm! It is as I thought. It is not too early in 
the season to hunt the ermine,” said the young hunter 
to himself, as he examined the fur of the little creature. 

“ The brown hairs of summer are all shed and the 
new coat is soft and white.” 

Before the close of the day Hampah had taken six 
more ermines and removed the skins for future use. 

It was quite dark by this time. The howling of 
wolves could be heard in the distance. The Indian 
hunter must hasten to prepare for his safety during the 
night. 

Hampah went to the top of a little knoll where few 
trees were growing. After gathering some brush and 
dried branches, he took out his flint and prepared to 
build a fire. The dry wood was soon crackling and 
sending bright flames up towards the sky. 

By this time Hampah was very hungry. He had not 
eaten since morning. lie cooked some of the elk meat 
on the end of a stick and his supper was soon eaten. 

He had no fear of wolves now. They would keep 
at a safe distance from the fire. After putting on some 
large logs, lie lay down and closed his eyes. But it 


NAMPAH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 105 

would not be safe to sleep heavily, for he must watch 
the fire. 

He had scarcely settled himself when a long, fright¬ 
ful scream rang out on the night air. It sounded like 
the voice of a boy, frightened, and in danger of his 

life. 

Uampah seized his bow and sprang to his feet. He 
wondered whether some other human being was out 
there in the forest. That fearful cry must be the sig¬ 
nal of some great danger. 

“Ugh! Ugh! ” grunted Nampah in a few moments. 
It was strange that he had not thought of it before. 
A puma was probably prowling about in the darkness. 
Perhaps his prey had just escaped and he was angry. 

Nampah had never seen a puma in his hunting trips, 
but his father had told him about that animal. Its 
favorite den was among the rocks or in the thick under¬ 
brush. Its face was really beautiful and its fur was 
soft and thick. It had no fear of any other living 
creature of the forest, hut it usually fled before man. 
There was nothing to fear,— really nothing. 

“ I will stay where I am / 7 thought Uampah. “ It 
would be of no use to get up into a tree, for pumas are 
good climbers. Moreover, I am quite safe here by my 
fire.” 

But the young hunter did not feel like napping. He 


106 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


was no longer sleepy. Once again during the night the 
long, fearful cry of the puma sounded through the air, 
but this time Hampah was not taken by surprise. 

When morning came, he ate his breakfast of dried 
buffalo meat and once more started out on his hunt for 
ermine. 

He was more successful than on the first day. When 
the second night drew on, he made his way to a large, 
open place on the mountain side where it would he safe 
for him to sleep. He must have a fire, however. 
Otherwise wolves might visit him even here. 

The night was cold on the mountain, so the warmth 
of the fire was very pleasant. Hampah stretched him¬ 
self close beside it and was soon sleeping as calmly as 
though his dearest friends were near him. 

The next morning he spied a herd of mountain goats 
browsing on the short grass, hut he did not disturb 
them. He was anxious only to find ermine. Besides, 
he was alone and his load of furs would he all he could 
carry home. 

After he had eaten his breakfast and taken a drink 
of fresh water from a little stream that flowed close to 
his camping-place, he made ready to go back into the 
thick forest. 

He was moving along with soft, quick strides, when 
he heard a light rustling as if twigs were being bent. 


NAMP AH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


107 


No one but an Indian would have noticed the sound. 
Turning his head in the direction from which it came, 
he saw, not twenty yards away, the one living creature 
most dreaded. 

It was a grizzly hear! 

The huge animal was picking berries from a hush 
and eating them as quietly and contentedly as an inno¬ 
cent little child would have done. lie had evidentlv 
not discovered Hampah, who stood wondering what he 
should do next. 

One thought after another rushed through the hun¬ 
ter’s mind. And so this was the fierce creature of 
wdiich he had heard so many stories! The picture rose 
before him of his brave uncle who had been brought into 
the camp, dead, when he, Nampali, was only six years 
old. 

The man had gone into the forest with a party of 
hunters. They went for mountain goats, but had 
wandered on and on into the wilderness. A grizzly 
bear suddenly appeared in their path. They had taken 
him by surprise and he thought they meant to corner 
him. 

Before they could turn, he had charged upon them. 
He knocked one of them down with a swift blow from 
his heavy paw. So swift and so heavy was it, that the 
Indian was knocked senseless on the very spot where he 


108 


TEN INDIAN HUNGERS 


bad first discovered tbe bear. Then the angry beast 
turned fiercely upon Nampah’s uncle who, with spear in 
hand, had sprung to one side to defend himself. 

As the great brute leaped upon him, the Indian 
thrust his spear into the bear’s breast with all his force 
and weight, but he could not save himself. The great 
paws closed around him, and the long, sharp claws tore 
open his flesh in deep and terrible gashes. 

In a moment the grizzly tossed his victim to one side 
and turned to the remaining two hunters. ITis wrath 
was not satisfied yet. 

That minute had been enough to save them. They 
had fled with the speed of the wind to the nearest tree, 
some twenty yards away, and quickly climbed to its top¬ 
most branches. 

The bear growled fiercely with rage and pain, for 
the blood flowing from the wound made by the spear 
showed that it was a deep one. He followed the 
men to the tree where, standing on his hind legs, he 
looked up into the branches. He stood eight feet 
high. 

Again he growled savagely. He would like to climb 
the tree, but he was too big and heavy. As he stood 
there, a very king among animals, an arrow came speed¬ 
ing downwards. It pierced the grizzly’s nose. Almost 
at the same moment, another entered his shoulder. He 


NAM PAH, THE SNAKE HUNTER 


109 


was too wise to stay longer in that place. So, limping 
and growling, he moved slowly away. 

As soon as they thought it was safe, the Indians 
came down from the tree. They hurried home, taking 
with them the bodies of their dead friends. It was a 
sad day in the Indian camp when they returned and 
told the story of the hunt. 

And now Hampah himself stood face to face with his 
first grizzly. He wondered if he could escape without 
being discovered. He did not have much reason to 
fear, after all. He had heard again and again that the 
animal seldom charged upon a man unless he thought 
himself cornered. 

Softly the young hunter turned about. Then he 
sped away so lightly and quietly that the bear did not 
even lift his head from the breakfast he was eating 
with so much relish. 

In half an hour Hampali found himself on the bank 
of a river. He wondered if it was possible that he had 
lost himself. The country was new to him. 

He looked at the sun and noted its place in the 
heavens. He looked at the trees near him and observed 
the way in which they grew,— in what direction the 
leaves turned and on which side the branches grew the 
best. 

After a few moments’ thought he said to himself, 


110 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ I am three hours out of my homeward course. I 
must cross the river now. It will be the best w T ay in 
the end.” 

The current was strong, for it was a mountain 
stream, and Kampah’s load was quite heavy, but he 
was not afraid. lie plunged into the deep, rushing 
water and with strong, even strokes fought his way 
against the current. 

After a hard struggle he reached the other side, at 
last. Both he and his furs were safe. 

When Hampah got hack to the camp that night he 
had much to tell. But he was in no hurry. It was not 
till his furs had been given into his mother’s hands for 
drying, and his supper had been eaten, that he joined 
a group of his young friends outside the lodge. 

The stars shone brightly in the heavens. The world 
around seemed full of peace, while the young man told 
of his nights in the wilderness and his first encounter 
with a grizzly bear. 

lie had gone on this lonely hunt to show that he was 
no longer a boy full of fear and ready to run away from 
any danger. 

He was a man and a brave, and could take his place 
among the hunters and warriors of his people. 


KATSA, 

The Creek Hunter 


•• A HA! ” thought Katsa. “ They are very pretty. 

I am going to take one for a pet.” 

The Indian hoy was on his way home from a day’s 
tramp in the woods. He had been out shooting game. 
A string of dead birds hung over his back. Ilis moc¬ 
casins were soaking wet, for he had been walking over 
low, marshy lands. 

As he swung along at a good pace, he caught sight 
of a hollow tree. He went up to examine it. His 
father had taught him carefully to notice everything in 
the world around him. A hollow trunk might hold 
something interesting, even if it were nothing more 
than the home of a squirrel. 

Katsa was not disappointed. Curled up in a snug 
little nest were four baby raccoons. They were very 
pretty. Their hair was long and soft. Their eyes 

111 



112 TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 

were open and they looked up at their visitor with curi¬ 
osity. 

“ Aha! ” Katsa repeated. 

He was thinking now of the sharp white teeth in 
those little mouths. Would the raccoons bite if he took 
one of them in his hands 1 

At any moment the mother might come to feed her 
little ones. As he thought of this, Katsa hurriedly 
reached his arm into the hollow and seized one of the 
babies by the neck. It would have cried if it could, 
but the red boy’s hand held it so tightly that it was 
impossible. 

Katsa’s parents had not taught him to be kind to 
animals, yet somehow or other these pretty, little, help¬ 
less raccoons touched a tender spot in the boy’s heart, 
and he pressed his tiny prisoner close to his breast. 
There it nestled, while Katsa stood for a moment unde¬ 
cided what to do next. Should he kill the others and 
carry them home for a stew for supper ? They would 
be fat and tender. Besides, he was hungry. 

He had just taken the last one, when he heard a soft 
sound close behind him. It was the mother raccoon. 
With wild eyes, and hair on end, she was about to 
spring upon him in defense of her little ones. 

He had just used the last arrow in his quiver, but 
quick as thought he sprang aside and seized a broken 


KATSA, TEE CREEK HUNTER 


113 


limb lying on the gTonnd close by. With one strong, 
straight blow, he knocked the furious animal senseless 
to the ground. 

“ You won’t get your sharp claws in me now,” he 
said, as he bent over the lifeless ’coon. “ I don’t think 
I should care to have those white teeth in my flesh, 
either. But they will never do any more harm. I will 
take you home to my mother, who will put you in the 
stew with the others.” 

The birds and raccoons, together, made quite a load 
for Katsa, but he did not mind it. He sped softly and 
quickly along the narrow path through the woods. In 
a little while he reached the town where he lived. 

Katsa belonged to the tribe of the Moskoquis. The 
white men called them Creeks because of the many lit¬ 
tle streams or creeks that flowed through the country 
where those red people lived. 

They were a powerful people and great warriors. 
They had conquered many other tribes. Their lands 
spread far and wide through the South. 

“ Once upon a time,” so Katsa’s grandfather told 
the boy, “ our people dwelt in cave-homes. It was far 
away to the northwest, and one must cross the great 
river, the Mississippi, to get there. I know this, for 
the story is told on our bead strings.” 

Katsa had once seen these bead strings. Upon them 


114 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


the history of the Creeks had been handed down for 
more years, and even more lives, than he could count. 
But he could not count very far. 

The boy could neither read nor write like the white 
people. Nor could any of his tribe. Yet there were 
some among the Creeks who could take one of these 
wonderful head chains and tell many things that had 
happened long ago. Ivatsa did not know how they 
did it. 

“ It is by study, 1 ” his father told him. “ One must 
study how the beads are arranged. There are always 
some among our tribe who are chosen to learn it and, 
in turn, hand on the knowledge to others. But this 
will not be your work. You must be a hunter and 
warrior.” 

Katsa drew himself up proudly. Yes ? he would 
take the scalps of many enemies by and by, he thought. 
And now, while he was young, he would learn the 
names of the wild creatures of the woodland and study 
the ways of the fiercest as well as the most timid. 

Every tree should be searched. Not even a wild 
bees’ nest, or a rabbit hole, should be unknown to him. 
His eyes and his ears should never be idle. 

Katsa’s parents loved him dearly, yet they had often 
made him suffer pain. They thought it was the only 
way to make him a great man. When he was but a 


KATSA, THE CREEK HUNTER 


115 


tiny little fellow he had his daily swim in the river, 
even on the coldest winter’s day. It mattered not 
that his teeth chattered and his lips got blue. He must 
grow up strong and hardy, and the cold baths would 
help him become so. 

But these were nothing to the scratching from head 
to foot which Katsa had to bear many times. The 
scratching was done with the sharp teeth of gar-fish, 
and the boy’s tender skin was torn so badly that he 
was covered with blood when the work was finished. 

How his skin smarted! But he must not cry, nor 
even frown with the pain. Ho, that would be a cow¬ 
ardly thing to do. He must suffer far worse than this 
before he could become a “ brave” like his father. 
Katsa thought the scratching was not so very bad after 
he had washed himself off with cold water. 

Once he had been very naughty. Then his father 
dry-scratched him. He was not allowed to bathe him¬ 
self afterward. The pain was very hard to bear that 
time, and he ground his teeth together to keep from 
crying aloud. 

He never forgot how he suffered that day, and you 
may be sure he did not repeat the wrong deed that 
brought such a punishment. 

Katsa did not live in a wigwam like children of the 
red men further north. Like all the others in his 


116 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


town, his home was a little wooden cabin. After it 
was built, Katsa’s father covered it with a coating of 
whitewash so that it glistened in the sunlight. 

The hoy’s mother planted a field of corn near by. 
When it ripened, she gathered the grain to make cakes 
for her family. 

She did not have all the care of her garden, how¬ 
ever, like many other Indian women. Her husband 
helped her in the hardest part of her work. Before 
he went off on one of his hunting trips or war parties, 
he would always see that the heavy work of the garden 
was done. Katsa helped her, too. 

But there was nothing he liked to do half so well 
as to tramp through the woods with his bow and ar¬ 
rows, looking for game or watching the traps and 
snares he set for the wild creatures. He never came 
home entirely empty-handed. Sometimes he brought 
wild ducks or grouse. Or maybe it was a wild turkey, 
nearly bursting with fat. 

The boy killed squirrels, rabbits, and even deer, 
when he was less than ten years old. His mother felt 
very proud of her son. 

This evening when Katsa appeared at the cabin door 
laden with birds and ’coons, the red woman looked up 
with a pleasant smile. But when she noticed the 
live pet snuggled in the boy’s arms, she began to scowl. 


KATSA, THE CREEK HUNTER 


117 


What did her son want of the creature ? It would 
be much better served in a stew for supper. 

Katsa saw the scowl and knew what it meant. The 
poor little raccoon had already won his heart. lie had 
never had a pet in his life. 

Tie begged so hard, that at last his mother told him 
he could keep it for a while. She did not know what 
his father would say when he came back from the war 
path. But Katsa could wait and see. 

She gave her son a basket in which to put the pet. 
Then she began to cook the supper, while Katsa went 
out to find his friends. lie went to the public square 
in the center of the town. 

Here were the council-house and the playground, as 
well as the great-house. The chief and his councillors 
talked over the public business in the council-house, 
and it was in the great-house that visitors spent the 
night, and the daily dances were held. 

Katsa sought the playground. There some young 
men were playing the chunkey game. They were so 
excited that at first they did not notice Katsa. 

This was what they were doing: a rounded stone was 
set rolling on its edge. Then the players in turn threw 
a pole at the stone, or “ chunkey/’ as they called it. 

After a while Katsa attracted the attention of one of 
the young men, who had stopped to rest and get his 


118 TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 

breath. The red boy glided up to his side and whis¬ 
pered : 

“ Will you go with me on the creek to-morrow ? We 
will paddle up the stream in search of alligators.'’ 

The young man nodded. He was several years older 
than Katsa. He had passed through the great fast 
bravely and had borne many hard things. He was now 
treated as a man and looked upon as a warrior. Al¬ 
though Katsa was still a boy, the youth was fond of 
him and often took him on his hunting trips. 

“ Yes, Katsa, I will go,” he said. “ Take your knife 
with you, as well as your bow, for you may have need 
of it.” Then he went back to the game. 

Katsa stood watching the players for a time. But he 
was getting hungry and the supper of corn and stewed 
birds must be ready by this time. He left the play¬ 
ground and hurried home. 

The supper was* very good and Katsa ate and ate 
till it seemed as though he could not hold another 
mouthful. It was his first meal that day, for he had 
left the cabin to go hunting, that morning, before his 
mother had even waked. 

When he had finished his supper Katsa thought of 
his new pet, the little raccoon. He went to the basket 
in which he had put it and there it lay, comfortably 
curled up and sound asleep. 


KATSA, THE CREEK HUNTER 


119 


It must have something to eat. What should he give 
it ? He well knew that grown-up ’coons were found of 
ripe, juicy sweet corn. But now, while it was yet only 
the month of May, there was none to be had. Old 
’coons like ducks and tender birds, too, hut the pet was 
only a baby. 

“ Ah! I know what to give it,” said Katsa. 

He lifted the cover of a small basket in the corner 
of the cabin, and took from it two wild-duck eggs. 
Breaking them open, he dipped his fingers in the con¬ 
tents of the shells and put them into the mouth of his 
pet. 

The raccoon sucked away in evident delight. He 
kept his young master busy feeding him till the shells 
were quite empty. 

Katsa, still with the ’coon in his arms, went outside 
into the pleasant twilight where a group of boys were 
talking together. When they saw Katsa and his pet 
they ran up to him. They asked as many questions as 
any white boy would have done. 

“ I chased a raccoon up into a tree the other day,” 
declared one. 

“ Yes, and I was there when he did it,” cried an¬ 
other. “ Then we shook the tree so hard that he fell 
off. When he had picked himself up and started to 
run off, we settled him with our arrows.” 


120 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


All the boys laughed at this. 

“ Did you ever watch a raccoon feeding ? ” asked 
Katsa. 

One of his friends nodded. 

“ One day I was lying on the hank above the creek,” 
Katsa went on. “ I heard a noise in the bushes near 
by. It was a ’coon going down to the waterside to get 
something to eat. When he was very near the water 
he crouched down behind the bushes and kept still. I 
did not move, hut watched to see what he would do 
next. 

“ Pretty soon a frog came hopping along. The rac¬ 
coon pounced upon it and killed it. Then he did a 
queer thing. He took the frog in his mouth and dipped 
it in the water of the creek. He wanted to wet his food 
before eating it. 

“ My father says raccoons don’t always do this. 
They are queer little animals though.” 

Katsa looked down at his pet and stroked its fur. 
The ’coon gave a little cry. 

“ It is almost like the cry of a baby,” said one of the 
hoys. 

“ It won’t be many days before it will follow me 
wherever I go,” declared Katsa. “ I shall let it sleep 
by my side at night.” 

“ Perhaps when you take it into the woods it will 



KATSA AND THE ALLIGATOR 





















































































































, V 








/- 































































KATSA, THE CREEK HUNTER 


121 


help you find a honey tree,” said one of the boys, 
thoughtfully. “ It has a keen scent and it is so fond 
of honey it will be on the lookout for bee trees.” 

“ If I can make it useful my father may be willing to 
let me keep it,” replied Katsa. “ But of course I 
must wait till the raccoon is older before it can do me 
any good.” 

“ By that time it will do more harm that good,” said 
the other. “ It will get into the cornfields and eat the 
tender corn. That will make your mother and all the 
other squaws angry.” 

“ Well, I will enjoy my pet now, at any rate,” de¬ 
clared Katsa, as he got up to leave the boys. “ I am 
tired, so my ’coon and I will go to our night’s sleep.” 

THE ALLIGATOR. 

Early the next morning, Katsa, with his friend, the 
young brave, went down to the creek and sprang into 
the light canoe that was Katsa’s delight. There was 
nothing in the world he liked better than gliding 
through the waters of the creeks and small rivers. 
Sometimes he went through to the big river where the 
fish were plentiful. Then he always returned to his 
mother at night with a good string of them. 

This was the time of the year when the alligators had 


122 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


waked up from their winter’s sleep. Kow they were to 
he found in the still, muddy waters of the creeks and 
bayous. 

Katsa had never killed one of these ugly creatures. 
They were very interesting to him, and to-day he 
thought, “ Perhaps I may be able to shoot an arrow 
into the eye of an alligator. That is the only place an 
arrow can enter, the hide is so thick and tough. I can 
shoot better than ever before. Who knows what I 
may do ? ” 

“ I found an alligator’s nest the other day,” he told 
his friend while they were quietly moving down the 
creek. “ It was close to the water’s edge.” 

“ How did you discover it ? ” asked the young brave. 
“ It must have been covered over with sand.” 

“ O, yes, but there were marks that told me an alli¬ 
gator visited the bank at that spot. I saw, too, what a 
warm sunny place it was. It was the very place for 
hatching eggs. So I scrapped away the sand and found 
more than fifty eggs. It seems strange to me that a 
large creature like the alligator should lay eggs no 
larger than those of a goose.” 

“ Strange indeed,” replied his friend. “ But what 
did you do with the eggs, Katsa ? ” 

“ I began to examine them and found that two or 
three were already cracked. It was time for them to 


123 


EATS A, THE CREEK HUNTER 

• 

hatch out. Just then I heard a swishing sound and, 
looking around, I saw a big alligator coming up out 
of the water. She was an ugly-looking thing. Her 
long flat head was stretched to the uttermost as she 
came waddling and floundering along. 

“ She had not discovered me. I did not have my 
bow, so I crept softly away. 

“ The next day, however, I went back to the place. I 
was just in time to see the mother alligator leading her 
big family of babies down to the water. A little way 
from shore I could see a long black line. I knew at 
once what it was. It was a male alligator waiting to 
devour the little ones.” 

“ If it was not for them and for the fishes there 
would be a good many more alligators in the country,” 
remarked the young brave. “ At least half of those 
newly hatched are eaten up before they have their first 
good swim.” 

“ That was the way with the family I was watching,” 
Katsa continued. “ One after another of the little 
ones was eaten before the mother had a chance to lead 
them all to safety. I could hardly keep from laughing 
as I watched. They looked so queer,— each little tail 
moving as fast as possible and each pair of eyes fol¬ 
lowing the mother alligator, who was striving so hard 
to save them.” 



124 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 

“ It is too early for us to see any alligators yet,” said 
Katsa, looking at the sun. 

“ There are three hours yet to noon,” was the answer. 
“ The alligators will not leave the water while it is still 
so cool. In the meanwhile we can watch for wild 

geese.” 

Katsa was pleased with the idea. Laying his bow 
close by his side, he paddled slowly along. 

The two hunters did not have long to wait before 
a flock of geese came in sight. At first they were high 
up in the air, but they soon took a downward turn and 
came flying in graceful circles toward the water. 

Katsa steered the boat up among the reeds at the 
water’s edge. 

He and his friend watched eagerly for the right mo¬ 
ment to shoot. 

Their keen eyes were soon able to pick out two of 
the largest birds. Then away flew their arrows, 
straight into the midst of the flock. 

There was a sudden squawk of fright and two geese 
came whirling down into the water. The others fled 
on swift wings, out of reach of the weapons of their 
enemies. 

“ It is good,” said the young brave. “ Quick, Katsa, 
with the boat.” 

Katsa had already seized his paddle. With a few 


KATSA, TEE CREEK HUNTER 


125 


quick strokes lie brought the canoe close enough to the 
geese to be able to get them. . 

“ As we waited by the reeds/’ said the young brave, 
“ I saw signs of a soft-shelled turtle. No doubt there 
is a nest of eggs. Let us go back and look around.” 

Once more the canoe was headed for the shore. As 
it grazed the bank, Katsa and his friend jumped out 
and began their search. They had taken only a few 
steps when they came upon a large turtle. Softly as 
they moved, she had heard their coming, and was just 
about to waddle into the water, when they made her 
their prisoner. 

“ Ugh! ” said Katsa. “ What a big one! ” 

It was indeed a monster, for it must have weighed 
thirty pounds. It was easy enough to kill this kind 
of a turtle, as the back was only partly hardened. In 
fact, the edges of the shell were only a thick leathery 
skin. 

“ We must next find the nest,” said the young brave. 
“ And here it is,” he added, pointing to the bank. 

Sure enough, in plain sight was a large nest of turtle 
eggs, creamy white. 

“ My mother will be glad.” Katsa smacked his lips. 

“ It was no more than four days ago that I was fish¬ 
ing in this creek,” said his friend as they got into the 
canoe once more. “ I felt a sudden pull on my line,— 


126 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


a heavy one. I drew it up very slowly for fear it 
would break. Wliat do you think I found ? It was 

f 

one of these soft-shelled turtles. I had a good deal of 
hard work before I could cut the hook out.” 

“ That turtle was a greedy fellow and he got what 
he deserved/’ said Ivatsa, laughing as he spoke. 

By this time the sun was almost directly over their 
heads. The air was hot and still. 

“ Look! ” whispered Ivatsa. 

A black spot was slowly moving through the water 
toward the shore. Then a long flat head appeared, 
covered with bony plates. It was the watclied-for alli¬ 
gator. 

The ugly creature slowly drew himself out of the 
water and stretched himself to bask in the sunshine. No 
doubt his wicked little eyes would keep a keen lookout 
for something to eat at the same time. 

“ Quick! to your paddle, Ivatsa,” whispered his 
friend. 

At the same time he set his bow and watched for 
the right moment to shoot. 

Ilatsa did as he was directed. But he was eagerly 
watching for his own chance too. 

It was of no use to shoot at the back of the alligator. 
Both of the hunters knew that. Their arrows would 
glance off from those hard, bony plates without in the 


RATS A, THE CREEK HUNTER 


127 


least harming the animal. But if they could only get 
in line with the alligator’s eyes, there would be some 
hope. 

With a master stroke the red hoy brought the canoe 
around to a favorable position. Dropping his paddle, 
he seized his bow and sent an arrow flying through the 
air. It followed close upon one shot from the bow of 
the young brave. 

The first struck the alligator just above one of his 
short forelegs. It was an inch too high and glanced 
off. 

The second one entered the right eye. It must have 
passed into the brain, for the ugly jaws snapped to¬ 
gether and then fell apart. 

“ It is yours, Katsa,” cried his friend. “ That was 
a fine shot. You may well be proud of your skill.” 

Ivatsa’s black eyes gleamed with joy. But he only 
replied: 

“ My father will be glad to hear what I did.” 

In another moment he had brought the canoe up t< % 
the shore and the two young hunters sprang out. As 
they examined their prey, Ivatsa said: 

“ I wonder how alligators catch fish. They get most 
of their food in the water; yet they are so clumsy I 
should think the fishes would escape even from those 
strong jaws.” 


128 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ This is the way/’ answered his friend. “ There is 
a strong-smelling liquid in the glands of an alligator’s 
throat. It attracts the fishes and they draw near. 
Then, when once they get within reach of the snapping 
jaws, their lives end in a hurry.” 

“ Now I understand,” said Katsa. “ I wish we 
could catch fish as easily as alligators do.” 

WILD TUKKEYS. 

A few days after Katsa had killed his first alligator, 
there was quite a stir in the town. A war party was 
about to set forth into the land of the Cherokees. 

“We want some rich hunting grounds which they 
claim,” said the Creeks. “ We will send our strongest 
braves into the country and make the Cherokees give 
up those grounds. We will make slaves of some of 
their people, too.” 

Katsa’s friend, the young warrior, was chosen to be 
one of the party. Perhaps he would bring home a 
scalp! Katsa thought much about it. 

It would not be many years before he, too, would go 
away with other warriors in search of adventure. 

The boy watched the warriors with interest as they 
marched away in single file through the woods. They 
traveled softly and silently, stepping in each other’s 
footsteps. Each man carried a bag of com as well as 


EATS A, THE CREEK HUNTER 


129 


his weapons of war. They might he gone hut a short 
time; but, on the other hand, it might be many days 
before they returned. Probably the corn would be their 
only food during their absence. 

Katsa’s father had got home from his last war party 
only a day or two before. He had gained little and 
had neither slaves nor scalps to show. He was a great 
w T arrior, nevertheless, and the chief wished him to go 
on this new expedition against the Cherokees. 

“ Yes, you may keep the raccoon,” he had told Katsa. 
“ But you must see that it gives no trouble to any¬ 
one.” 

The boy stood watching till the last man had dis¬ 
appeared. He wondered what he should do with him¬ 
self for his playmates were all busy. Some were mak¬ 
ing arrows, others had gone to find willow twigs for 
their mothers to use in making baskets. Still others 
were fishing in the creek. 

“ Hm! ” thought 3£atsa. “ I will go into the woods 
for wild turkeys. I saw a big flock of them by the 
pond yesterday, just before sunset.” 

About a mile from Katsa’s home there was a large 
pond. The boy sometimes went there to fish. How, 
as he thought of the turkeys, he hurried home for his 
bow and arrows. 

His pet ’coon came out to greet him. The little 


130 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


creature ambled along like a playful bear. Ivatsa 
smiled as he looked at him. 

“ Not to-day/’ he said. The raccoon was looking 
up as if he were asking to go, too. “ No, not to-day,” 
he repeated. 

The raccoon seemed to understand and hung his tail 
while Ivatsa, bow in hand, and a quiver of arrows at 
his side, went hurrying away to the woods. 

In a few minutes he was among the trees, and not 
far away he could catch glimpses of the sparkling waters 
of the pond. The boy moved more slowly now. He 
did not wish to make the slightest sound lest he should 
disturb the turkeys he hoped to find. 

He stopped often to look about him. The birds 
might be feeding in any of the cleared spaces. They 
are fond of acorns and grass and all kinds of insects. 
They like berries and fruits, too, but it was too early 
in the season for them to find anything in that line, 
except wild strawberries. 

“ If the flock arrived here only yesterday, they surely 
are not far away,” thought Ivatsa. “ They will find 
enough in the woods and fields around here to keep them 
a day or two.” 

“ Gobble, gobble, gobble! ” 

It sounded near him at that very moment. Then 
again, Ivatsa heard repeated: 


EATS A, THE CREEK HUNTER 


131 


“ Gobble, gobble, gobble ! ” 

He peered cautiously through some bushes at his 
left and saw at least thirty turkeys feeding not far 
away. They were handsome birds. One or two of 
them would provide several meals. 

The sunlight shone down through the tree-tops and 
brightened the brown and olive feathers of their backs. 
They were so near that Katsa could see the blue skin 
of their heads and necks very plainly. 

Some of them were not eating but were strutting 
about with tails spread, watching the others. 

“ My mother will be glad to get some turkey feathers 
to use in her embroidery/’ Katsa thought, as he stood 
looking at them. 

A lynx, high up in a tree, was watching them, too. 
His green eyes were on fire and his soft fur bristled all 
over his body. 

[Neither lynx nor red boy made the slightest sound. 
One stood ready to spring and then rush into the middle 
of the flock; the other, with arrow carefully set, was 
creeping with cat-like movement toward the uncon¬ 
scious birds. 

Katsa had moved along till he had reached the very 
tree in which the lynx was crouching, when, for some 
reason, he looked up and saw the big wild-cat over¬ 
head. 


132 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ Aha! ” he thought. “ And so you are after them, 
too! If I am to win, I must hurry.” 

The lynx moved his head slightly to look at the red 
boy. Then his eyes, wickedly glittering, turned again 
to the birds not far away. He was hungry and he 
wanted a turkey for his dinner. A young Indian did 
not interest him just then. 

With a few long, silent strides, Katsa brought his 
arrow within range of the flock. The boy quickly se¬ 
lected a large, handsome gobbler and let fly his weapon. 
At the same moment the lynx rushed past him. 

There was a hurried scattering of the frightened tur¬ 
keys to right and left. Some of the birds flew up into 
the tree tops; others ran towards the pond. Only two 
were left on the feeding ground. One of these lay 
lifeless, with Katsa’s arrow in its body. The other 
was held fast in the sharp claws of the lynx. 

In a moment the cat was speeding through the w T oods 
with his prey in his mouth, while Katsa, taking his 
time, went to pick up the turkey he had killed. 

“ It is a beauty,” he said to himself as he lifted it. 
“ The feathers are handsomer than I thought. But 
one turkey is not enough. I must get another before 
I go home.” 

Slinging the bird over his shoulder, he walked some 
distance and then lay down to wait. The turkeys 


KATSA, THE CREEK HUNTER 


133 


would soon get over their fright and come hack to the 
feeding ground. There was plenty of time. The red 
boy was in no hurry. 

As he lay there Katsa’s bright eyes were still busy. 
They studied the branches overhead in search of birds’ 
nests. They watched the bees sucking honey from the 
flowers and took notice of the direction of their flight. 
The red boy was fond of honey and was always on the 
lookout to rob the hives of their sweet stores. 

A pretty gray squirrel in a nearby tree was scolding 
loudly. Katsa took pains to find out what was the 
matter. 

An hour went by very quickly. 

“ It will probably be all right now. I will seek the 
turkeys again,” he said. 

It was just as he thought. The turkeys had forgot¬ 
ten the fright into which they had been thrown such a 
little while before, and had come back to the feeding 
ground. 

This time there was no lynx to share the hunt with 
Katsa. But in the trees near by some owls were 
sleeping. Katsa had discovered them. 

“ By and by,” he said to himself, “ when night falls 
and the turkeys have gone to roost among the trees, 
you owls will have your turn. Xo doubt you will have 
a fine supper, but just now it is my move.” 


134 TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 

He set his arrow once more and crept softly upon 
the turkeys. 

One, two birds fell in quick succession. Then the 
rest of the flock scattered away as they had before, and 
Katsa was left alone. 

ITe was well satisfied. A feast of delicious turkey 
meat before him and a supply of handsome turkey 
feathers for his mother, were enough to make any boy 
happy, and Ivatsa was not hard to please. 

As he went homeward through the woods, over the 
path that had been beaten down by the feet of Indians 
for hundreds of years, he thought of many things; 
most of all of the time, soon to be, when he should come 
alone into the woods to fast and to dream. Then he 
would prove how strong in purpose he really was. 

Then his people, stern and cruel in their ways, would 
decide whether he was fit to become one of their war¬ 
riors and worthy of the great name, “ brave.” 


SANHU, 

The Kutchin Hunter 


S ANHU was a Kutchin. lie lived in the cold, wild 
lands bordering on a river that flowed into the 
great Yukon, in Alaska. 

He was tall and noble-looking, even though he 
painted his face in queer fashion. A black stripe 
reached down the forehead and nose. Ked streaks cov¬ 
ered the cheeks and decorated the chin. Nevertheless, 
Sanhu’s black eyes looked bold and frank. He would 
not take what belonged to another, for the world. And 
he loved the truth. 

Still farther to the north of Sanliu lived the Eskimos. 
The young man’s father traded with them every year. 
He carried furs to exchange with them for oil and seal¬ 
skins. 

Perhaps Sanhu’s people got their style of dress from 
the Eskimos. At any rate, both men and women wore 
coats whose skirts reached down in long points, in front 

135 



136 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


and behind'. That is real Eskimo fashion. These gar¬ 
ments were trimmed with beads and porcupine quills. 

Both coats and trousers were made of reindeer skin, 
with the hair left on to make them warm and com¬ 
fortable during the long and terrible winter. 

Sanhu’s father was a rich man in his tribe. He 
counted these riches, not by money, of which he knew 
nothing, but by strings of beads. The beads were made 
of shells which he got in trade with the people of the 
coast. 

This great man wore many necklaces and strings of 
these beads. His nose and ears were decorated with 
shells. His hair, soaked with grease, was braided into 
a long cue, decorated with feathers and bound with 
strings of shells and beads. One had only to look at 
him to know that he was very wealthy. 

The son was old enough, now, to go on long hunts 
with his father. They sometimes visited the Eskimos. 

Sanhu lived most of the year in a dark underground 
house. It was warm, to be sure, and the cold north 
winds could not enter it, but it was a cheerless sort of 
home. When the spring came and the sunshine broke 
up the ice, then Sanhu was always glad. His people 
left their dark homes then. Carrying deerskin tents, 
they moved about from place to place for the summer’s 
hunt. 


SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


137 


The young man could barely remember when he was 
a tiny little fellow and his mother carried him on her 
back in a sort of chair made of bark. 

In those days she kept his feet bandaged tightly. 
She wished them to be small when he grew up. That 
was* her idea of beauty. 

The boy’s father changed his name when Sanliu was 
born and took that of his son. This was the way of all 
the Ivutchins. The child was named after the mother’s 
people, not the father’s as is the fashion amongst white 
people. 

Sanliu grew up fast. He was looked upon as a man 
when he would have been treated as a boy in other 
lands. 

lie must now have a boat of his own to travel up and 
down the waters of the river. He did not make it of 
skins, like the boats of the Eskimos. He chose flexible 
willow wood for the framework. Then, cutting strips 
of birch bark, he sewed them together with spruce roots 
for thread. This would make a close, light skin for 
the boat. He caulked the seams with spruce bark. 
When he had made a paddle, his canoe was ready for 
service. 

Sanhu’s mother helped him in his work. 

She was a busy woman, making clothes for her hus¬ 
band and son, drying the fish and flesh the men brought 


138 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


home, cooking the meals and. tending the oil lamp that 
looked so much like those used by the Eskimos. Some¬ 
times she made cups and pots of clay. She painted 
them with lines and crosses. Sanhu and his father 
had their meals served on these dishes. The woman 
did not eat until the men were through. 

During the short summer season, she picked many 
berries Avhile the men were hunting. There were cur¬ 
rants and raspberries and a kind of blueberry. These, 
with the fresh-killed wild fowls, tasted very good after 
so many months of dried fish and a scanty supply of 
meat. 

The woman did all sorts of hard work, but there was 
one thing her husband and son would never let her do: 
she must not paddle when she was out in the canoe 
with them. It was too hard work for her, they thought. 
When the trip was over and the time came for them to 
go on shore, they even carried her from the boat up 
to the dry land, lest she wet her feet. Their kindness 
pleased her very much, for all men of their tribe were 
not like this. 


THE GOOD TIME. 

It was the month of May. The snow was fast disap¬ 
pearing, and Sanhu launched his boat on the river. Tie 
paddled up and down watching for the birds that had 


SANIIU, THE RUT CHIN HUNTER 


139 


begun to fly northward in great flocks. Rabbits were 
plentiful and the young hunter found many in his 
traps. He shot and snared wild fowl,— partridges and 
geese and ducks. 

Sanlm and his father made many a trip up the river 
after beavers. How that the ice was broken up, the 
freshets drove these busy little animals out of their 
winter homes. This was the easiest time in the year to 
get them. 

In their spare moments, the men helped Sanlm’s 
mother make nets for the fishing season, that would 
open in a few days. They took the inner bark of wil¬ 
low and alder trees for this purpose. They also 
mended the traps left over from last year. 

They made strong willow baskets and cut the stakes 
for a fishing weir, which they set up across the shal¬ 
low part of the stream. 

The month of June w r as at hand. Sanlm’s father 
made a boat trip down the river. When he came back 
he said: 

“ There are signs of salmon.” 

Everyone w r as happy over the good news. There 
was no more need to go hungry now. The fishermen 
joked and laughed and sang. They were as gay and 
full of fun as little children. 

Sanliu was as merry as a bird. He was one of the 



140 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


first to lower his basket and bring to the surface a beau¬ 
tiful king salmon. It was at least three feet long, and 
was so fat that the young man’s mother would need no 
oil to cook with. The sport had begun in earnest. 

Over on the shore the women were waiting to re¬ 
ceive the boatloads of fish. They would split them 
and dry them in the sun, for future use. Of course 
they would save enough of the fresh salmon for daily 
feasts. They, too, were merry at their work, and the 
air was filled with sounds of happy voices. 

When evening came, fishing stopped and feasting be¬ 
gan. Sanhu and his people ate till it seemed as though 
they would burst. How sweet and juicy the fish 
tasted! Nothing in the world could be better to them 
than fresh salmon. 

After a while the fcasters lay back to take a rest 
from eating. They told stories and sang songs. Some 
of them joined in a dance, to rough music. Then came 
more feasting. Many of the company were having 
such a good time that they did not care to close their 
eyes in sleep all night. 

During the daytime the children became tired of 
watching the fishermen and helping their mothers. 
They wandered off among the trees and hills to hunt 
bird’s eggs. They brought home many a basketful to 
cook for dinner. 


SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNGER 


141 


Sanliu had gone egg-lmnting many a time, when he 
was a child, hut now he was contented to eat those 
brought by the little folk. lie liked the rich eggs of 
the wild goose best of all. They made a good meal, 
when eaten with a thick slice of fat salmon. 

Late one afternoon, Sanhu left the other fishermen at 
their work and started for home with a boatload of 
fish. 

Just as he was landing he saw a large object, of a 
beautiful golden-brown color, moving slowly along the 
shore a little farther up the river. 

u Aha!” he thought. “ A bear is making his even¬ 
ing meal off the dead salmon the men have thrown up 
on the bank.” 

It is very seldom that those great creatures leave 
their homes in the forest to come down to the shore for 
fish. 

“ I must have that fellow. lie is the biggest I ever 
saw,” Sanhu continued. 

He ran quickly home. Seizing his bow and arrows, 
he crept down to the shore. Yes, Mr. Bruin was there 
still, so busy devouring the fish that he did not notice 
the Indian creeping down behind him. 

Sanhu drew nearer and nearer. The bow was held 
ready, but the hunter would not shoot so long as the 
bear did not hear him approaching. He waited till he 


142 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


was nearer the animal and faced it. Then there could 
be no miss and he would he sure of his prey. 

Tie was close upon the bear before he was discovered. 
In another moment those powerful paws would have 
seized Sanhu, hut at that very instant an arrow pierced 
the creature’s shoulder. 

lie sprang angrily forward. Sanhu could feel the 
bear’s hot breath and saw the paws lifted to strike. He 
had no time to set another arrow. Seizing the knife 
that hung at his side, he plunged it with all his might 
into the animal’s breast. Then he leaped quickly to 
one side, as the bear fell forward with a heavy thud. 

By this time the other men were paddling home¬ 
ward. They saw what had happened and gave a shout 
of delight. 

That evening, as they talked it over, they all agreed 
that no one could have done better or acted more bravely 
and coolly than Sanhu had. He was the hero of the 
village for weeks to come. 

When the salmon began to come more slowly, Sanhu 
looked over his stock of hunting weapons. It would 
soon he time to start after the American reindeer, or 
caribou, as we call them. Then the camp must be 
moved up among the hills where herds of the shy 
cretures could he found as soon as the summer came. 

But the fish must first he stored. Boxes and other 


SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 143 

wild creatures might come that way and take a liking to 
them. 

The men planted stout poles in the ground. Upon 
these poles they built a rough platform, and here they 
put their precious stores. 

The treasures would he safe now. Wild animals 
could not get at them; and as for any men taking what 
did not belong to them, it was unheard of among Sail¬ 
ings people. 

And now the deerskin tents were strapped up and 
the campers started off on their summer hunt. A day’s 
tramp brought them to the hunting grounds. The hills 
looked bleak and rocky, but moss and lichens were 
plentiful on the rocky slopes and the tender shoots of 
the trees offered tempting food to any reindeer that 
should come that way. 

AFTER THE REINDEER. 

Sanhu had learned, years ago, that the reindeer were 
less timid at this season of the year than at any other. 
Therefore it would be easier to trap and snare them. 

It was nightfall when the tents had been set up, and 
the women began to get the evening meal of dried fish 
and berries. As soon as it was ended, all stretched 
themselves on their mats and prepared themselves for 
a good night’s sleep. 


144 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Early the next morning there was a stir in the camp. 
The hunters were already starting out to look for game. 
Sanhu was up with the rest. He quickly dressed him¬ 
self in his deerskin trousers and coat and drew high 
boots over his feet and ankles. 

It happened that a large herd of reindeer had al¬ 
ready moved up from the plains where they had spent 
the winter. They were feeding quietly not two miles 
away from the camp. 

Their broad-spreading hoofs, as useful as snow-shoes 
during the winter season, were noisily clattering over 
the rocks, while they nibbled the moss and broke off the 
shoots from the willow and alder trees. 

Mother deer were there, with little ones trotting along 
close by their sides. The fawns would make many a 
dainty dish for the Indian hunters and their fam¬ 
ilies. 

. Clink! clink! sounded the hoofs, as the caribou 
picked their way from place to place. Erom time to 
time the bucks looked about them and tossed their loner. 

07 

branching horns. All was safe and quiet, as they 
thought, and they went back to their feeding. And 
yet, though they did not know it, Sanhu, with a dozen 
other hunters, was at that very moment watching them 
from the top of a neighboring hill. 

What was the best way to get the greatest number 


SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


145 


of reindeer? With bows and arrows, or by means of 
traps and snares ? The latter, by all means! 

The men divided themselves into groups of twos and 
threes and searched about for the runs, or paths, made 
by the deer on their way down to the river for water. 
As soon as these were discovered, they set to work dig¬ 
ging pitfalls along the line of the runs and then cov¬ 
ered them over with brushwood. 

There was nothing more for the hunters to do now 
except to wait patiently. The deer would probably 
not leave their present feeding-place to drink, till late 
afternoon or evening. But if they followed the runs 
already made, some of them would he sure to fall into 
the traps. 

They would doubtless break their legs in doing so. 
Then it would he an easy matter for the hunters to 
come up and get them. 

“ I hope some of the fawns will he trapped,” said 
Sanhu. “ The flesh is so sweet and tender. It is the 
nicest thing I ever tasted in my life.” 

The men settled themselves in comfortable places 
near the river hank. As the hours went by, they began 
to be troubled by great swarms of mosquitoes. There 
were big mosquitoes and little ones; mosquitoes of dif¬ 
ferent kinds,— but they were all alike in one respect,— 
they all sang and they all bit. 



146 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


At last Sanhu could stand it no longer. He got np 
and went down to the river to bathe. lie would get 
rest from the troublesome insects so long as he stayed in 
the water. lie was sure of that. 

Another creature felt as Sanhu did. It was a large 
moose. It had been annoyed by the same pests and 
went into the river to get rid of them. 

Sanhu had been in the water only a few minutes 
when he saw the moose drawing near. 

“ O, for my bow and arrows! ” he thought. 

But, alas! his weapons were with his friends. 

The moose was a powerful creature, at least six feet 
high. His body was covered with coarse, heavy, smoky- 
gray hair. There was a big hump on his back. His 
antlers were larger and wider-spreading than those of 
any other animal found in Sanhu’s country. 

“ The moose can swim well ,’ 7 thought the young hun¬ 
ter. “ If I should creep up onto the bank and then 
follow him into the water, he would not be helpless, 
he could easily escape. Ho, it is of no use for me to 
try to get him now. No use whatever.” 

Nevertheless, Sanhu hurried out of the water with as 
little noise as possible and went back to the other men 
to tell them about the moose. They followed him to 
the bank of the river, but the animal was not to be 
seen now. lie had had his bath and gone away. 



SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


147 


It was ten o’clock that night when the hunters went 
to look at the traps, hut it was still as light as day. 

The first trap had not been disturbed, hut in the sec¬ 
ond Sanhu discovered one, two, three fully grown rein¬ 
deer, and one poor little fawn. Two of the animals 
had broken their legs in falling, but the fawn was un¬ 
harmed. It must have been following the mother and 
fallen on top of her. 

The reindeer were crying pitifully, for they were 
badly frightened. When they saw the Indians leaning 
over the pit, with their big knives ready for their vic¬ 
tims, the poor creatures floundered madly about and 
tried to spring out of the hole. But it was of no use. 
They could not do it. 

A few minutes afterwards their lives were ended and 
the men were on their way back to the camp with their 
load of game. 

“ They have fed well,” said one of the men, as he 
threw down his load and felt of the meat. 

There were layers of fat on the haunches. The flesh 
was heavy and firm. 

The next day all the people had a great feast. The 
venison was juicy and tender, and the lumps of sweet 
fat were greedily eaten. The flesh of the fawn was 
the greatest dainty the Indians had tasted for a long 
time. It was divided and shared by all. 


148 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Every joart of the reindeer was put to some use. The 
skins were stretched out to dry in the sunshine. 

“ I shall not be cold next winter, when I put on a coat 
of new deerskin,” said Sanliu. As he spoke he moved 
his hand over the thick, brown hair. It felt like a soft 
mat. Indeed, it was so thick that no matter how hard 
Sanhu might rub it, he could not see the skin beneath. 

The young man now turned to the reindeer’s hoofs. 
They were very different from those of a moose. The 
moose could be caught much more easily on the snow- 
covered fields of winter. Its hoofs were sharper and 
would sink into the snow, but these of the reindeer, 
broad and spreading like snow-shoes, would bear him 
up. The hunter might follow him for miles without 
getting near enough to shoot. 

The days passed quickly in the summer camp. There 
were many reindeer, and the Indians hunted in the day¬ 
time and feasted, danced and sang through the long 
hours of evening. They slept little at this time of 
the year. The sun shone the greater part of the time. 

“ When winter comes,” they said, “ we shall want 
to sleep away many of these long, dark hours.” 

Sometimes Sanhu took his bow and arrows and went 
with a friend after wild geese and other birds. At this 
season of the year the young geese could not fly well. 
Their wing feathers had not grown long enough. It 


SANIIU , THE EUTCHIN HUNTER 


149 


was sport for the young Indians to catch the clumsy 
creatures in snares; or, maybe, they would follow the 
goslings over the ground and catch them in their hands. 

Sanhu’s mother, and the other women, sometimes 
went hunting by themselves. They crept among the 
reindeer and chased the fawns till the little creatures 
were tired out. Then they caught them and carried 
them off. 

One day Sanlm was out in his bark canoe on a small 
lake near the camp. A young friend was with him. It 
was towards evening and the mosquitoes had been thick 
and troublesome all day. 

The young men were paddling idly about, when sud¬ 
denly Sanlm spied a large, dark object near the shore. 
It was moving deeper and deeper into the water. 

“ A moose! ” he said in a low tone. “ We must have 
it.” 

He felt for his knife. Yes, it was there at his side. 
His friend, however, had no weapon. 

“ You take the paddle,” Sanlm said to him. “ Bring 
the boat in to the shore, behind the moose. Then fol¬ 
low him.” 

The young Indian understood. The canoe swung 
round under the strong strokes of the paddle and in a 
moment was close upon the moose. 

The animal was startled. lie hardly knew what to 


150 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


do to save himself. The boat was only a few feet be¬ 
hind him. ITe swam faster and faster towards the mid¬ 
dle of the lake. 

How, although he loved the water dearly, he was a 
clumsy swimmer and made but slow headway. The 
boat was fast gaining upon him. The only way he 
could defend himself was by turning around and using 
his horns. It did not seem, however, as if they could 
be of much use there in the middle of the lake. 

And now the boat was actually grazing his back. 
Sanlm, knife in hand, was reaching far out over the 
bow. With a sudden, quick movement he plunged the 
knife into the moose’s back. Again, and yet again he 
repeated the action. 

The prize was his. There was nothing more to be 
done except to tow the dead animal to the shore. 

THE WOLVERINE. 

The happy summer-time went quickly by and the cool 
days of October were at hand all too soon. Then San- 
hu was busy making snares for the grouse. They 
would soon be flying along the river and resting in the 
willow thickets along the banks. 

He also made ready for the autumn hunting of the 
wild animals that would give him and his family a 
plentiful supply of furs for the winter. The black 


SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


151 


and silver foxes were now wearing their heaviest and 
most beautiful coats. Then there were the martens, 
whose fur was such a rich brown color. 

He must certainly catch some wolverines, too. Ho 
doubt he would have trouble enough before he succeeded 
in doing so. 

The grouse hunting was very simple. The birds 
soon appeared in flocks of hundreds and were easily led 
into the snares set for them by the Indians. 

But the long tramps after the wild animals were an¬ 
other matter. Sanhu and his father spent many days 
making their traps. If the prey was once caught, it 
must not escape. 

The wolverine was the most cunning enemy they had 
to contend with. It was a queer-looking animal, about 
as large as a bulldog. Whenever Sanhu spoke of it, 
he called it a thief and a glutton. Besides being cun¬ 
ning, it was fierce and very strong. It seemed as 
though it must always be hungry, for it was never satis¬ 
fied. 

“ More than once it has broken into our storehouse 
and carried off the food,” Sanhu’s father complained, 

lie did not know that Indians in other parts of Amer¬ 
ica had given it the name of the “ Mountain Devil,” 
but he hated it, nevertheless. 

“ Yes, we must certainly be on the lookout for the 


152 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


wolverine,” said Sanhu. “ It is a bad, bad animal. 
It destroys just for the love of doing mischief.” 

By the time the traps were ready, it was time to 
take them into the forest and set them. Then came the 
daily tramp over hard, rough ground to see what ani¬ 
mals had been caught. 

At first everything went well. Nearly every day 
Sanhu came home with a fine fox. Or, perhaps, several 
martens hung from his shoulder. 

But this good fortune did not last long. The traps 
had been tampered with. The bait had been stolen, 
and the animals caught were destroyed. Day after day 
there was the same trouble. There would be no more 
furs at this rate. The enemy must be discovered. 

“ I will stay out in the forest,” Sanhu angrily de¬ 
clared. “ It is one of those thieving wolverines that 
makes all the trouble.” 

One of Sanhu’s friends said he would go with him. 
The two Indians took their bows and hunting knives. 
They sought a lonely spot near the line of traps. Hid¬ 
ing behind some brush, they encamped for the night. 

The wind was cold and they drew their deerskin 
blankets close about them. Hour after hour passed by. 
They did not dare to sleep, but crouched there, weapons 
in hand, watching and waiting. 

Once Sanhu thought he heard a faint sound, as of 


8AN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


153 


an animal treading softly nearby. He sprang np ready 
to shoot, but his bright eyes could see nothing moving, 
lie crept from his hiding place and searched in alb di¬ 
rections. No, neither eyes nor ears discovered anything 
wrong. 

With the first morning light the two young men went 
to examine the traps. They had been tampered with 
as before! The bait had been eaten and the trap 
farthest away had actually been carried some distance 
from its place. The spring was broken and it was use¬ 
less. 

“We will not give up,” Sanliu’s friend said. “We 
will watch again to-night. The wicked wolverine shall 
not escape.” 

Towards morning of the second night there was a 
sudden commotion, then a howl of pain not far from 
the watchers. It was at the trap nearest to them. 

They rushed to the spot and arrived there in time 
to see a big wolverine twisting the neck of a beautiful 
silver-gray fox. One of the fox’s legs was fastened in 
the trap. 

“ Tim! ” said Sanhu, as he sprang forward and 
plunged his knife into the wolverine’s back. “ A mo¬ 
ment more and we should have been too late. The 
fellow would have killed the fox and carried him off 
to his den.” 


154 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


The wolverine, for the first and last time in his life, 
was taken by surprise. Sanhu and his companion made 
quick work of him and were soon on their way home 
with their prize. 

It was a prize indeed! No other prey killed gave 
such delight to the Indians. The wolverine was their 
enemy and the enemy of all the wild creatures they 
hunted. 


THE HUNGER TIME. 

After this the hunting was more successful. Sanhu 
and his people were able to store away many rich skins 
to use during the coming winter, and to sell or trade 
to the Eskimos and other Indians. 

The rivers now began to freeze over. Snow covered 
all the land. The young hunter and his family set¬ 
tled themselves once more in their dark underground 
home. 

Now was the time for the winter fishing. Sanhu 
went with his father to the frozen river. They broke 
holes.in the ice and set their traps there. Every day 
they must put on their heaviest deerskin garments and 
go out to examine these traps. Sometimes they were 
rewarded with many wliitefish. Sometimes, alas, they 
came home with empty baskets! 

Two weeks of the new year had passed by, when 



SANHU ON HIS WAY TO TRADE WITH THE ESQUIMAUX 































SANHU , THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


155 


Sanhu’s father told him the time had come for the 
yearly trading with the Eskimos. 

“ We need oil and sealskins,” he said. “ I also want 
shells for more necklaces and ornaments. You shall go 
with me, Sanhu.” 

Sanhu’s mother had just made him a new pair of 
snow-shoes. The network was very neat and close. It 
was made of fine deerskin thongs. They were far pret¬ 
tier than the snow-shoes made by the Eskimos, or by 
any other Indians Sanhu’s people had ever met. 

Several other men joined the father and son in their 
journey. Carrying their packs of furs, they traveled 
along the frozen rivers and passed over vast snow-cov¬ 
ered plains. The Eskimos would meet them half¬ 
way. 

There were no accidents, and before the second day 
was over they met the yellow-skinned traders from the 
north. 

There was much talking and bargaining. The trad¬ 
ing lasted several days. At last everyone was satisfied, 
and Sanhu’s party, with their load of oil and skins, to¬ 
gether with a rich treasure of the shells they prized so 
much, started for home. 

By the time they got hack the women had need of 
them. Sanhu’s mother had a sad story to tell her hus¬ 
band and son. She had been ill. Worse still, some of 


156 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


the supplies had been stolen by wild animals and only 
a little of the fish dried last summer was now left. 

The fish traps must be set in the rivers again, and 
snares laid for rabbits and grouse. These creatures 
were scarce, yet a few might be caught, enough, at least, 
to furnish several good meals. 

The weather was very cold. The days were short 
and the nights were long and dark, save when the moon 
was shining or the northern lights were darting across 
the heavens. 

Many a time Sanhu searched in vain for game. lie 
went to his traps and snares only to find them empty. 
And many a time he went to bed hungry, for there was 
no food in the house. 

April, the “ Hunger Month / 7 as Sanhu called it, ar¬ 
rived. By this time the sun shone brightly but gave 
little warmth. Then the glare on the great sheets of 
ice and snow was terrible for the hunter’s eyes. 

One bright day Sanhu and his father went reindeer 
hunting across the plains. At this time of the year a 
small herd of these animals was sometimes found hunt¬ 
ing the moss and lichens under the snow. But they 
wore always very shy then. It was hard to get near 
enough to shoot them. 

The men wore their snow-shoes, but when Sanhu’s 
mother brought their goggles they refused to take them. 


SAN HU, THE KUTCHIN HUNTER 


157 


They «aid they did not need them. This was very fool¬ 
ish. It was only a year ago that a man in the village 
became blind from the glare of the snow upon his eyes. 
His friends said: 

“ There would have been no trouble if he had worn 
goggles, none whatever.” 

The goggles made by the Hutchins were queer-look¬ 
ing things. They were like solid wooden spectacles 
with slits in them just wide enough to let the eyes see 
passing objects. 

Sanhu and his father had not gone very far before 
their eyes began to ache severely. They could scarcely 
keep them open. It was of no use; they had to turn 
around and go back for the goggles. 

Even then, they were not successful in their hunt that 
day. Yet they came home brave and quiet, like true 
Indians. 

The “ Hunger Month ” passed slowly away. When 
at last the bright May days arrived and the ice showed 
signs of breaking up on the rivers, Sanhu was glad. 
His heart sang a merry little song of its own. Winter 
was over and joy and feasting were at hand. 



CASTA, 
The Othomaca 


U 


c 


ASTA, come with me.” 

The boy’s father was sitting in the shade of a 


large tree, making arrows. As he spoke he laid the 
last arrow on the ground behind him and got up. 

“ We must seek for the curac. I have no poison left, 
in which to dip my arrows. With poison on the points 
they are sure to kill.” 

Casta nodded. He w T as only a boy of ten years, but 
he had lived long enough to understand what his father 
meant. Poisoned arrows were sure to cause death. If 
the point merely pierced the skin, the blood stopped 
flowing in the body and the animal fell to the ground 
motionless. 

The juice of the root of the curac was the principal 
thing used in making the poison. The boy had searched 
for the shrub many times, and when it was found he 
had helped his father in getting the juice. 

Casta lived in a forest on the shore of the Orinoco 


159 



160 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Biver in South America. lie and his people were In¬ 
dians, but their skins were not so red as those of Indians 
in North America. Their hair was long and coarse 
and grew low down on their foreheads. They wore 
little clothing, while their homes were only rough lints 
among the trees. 

Casta’s father told the boy that white men lived on 
the grassy plains below them. 

“ I hate those white people,” he said. “ They try 
to make us red men wear more clothes. I will not 
listen to their teachings. Indeed, I cannot understand 
what they try to tell us. I am satisfied to believe what 
my people have taught me. You must know it, too, 
Casta.” 

\ 

The man went on to tell the boy that a long, long 
time ago there were no people. There were only trees 
and plants. But on the top of a large rock was a pile 
of stones. One day these stones took on life. They 
changed into red men and women. All the rest of the 
race came from these first people. 

When Casta and his people died they would change 
back into stones. 

As the boy listened, he looked up into his father’s 
face with his sad, black eyes. Poor, ignorant fellow! 
He believed every word of this silly story because his 
father said it. 


CASTA, THE OTIIOMACA 


1G1 


As the man and his son moved along through the 
forest, they paid little attention to the sights and sounds 
around them. They were thinking only of the curac 
for which they were seeking. Monkeys chattered in 
the tree-tops overhead, beautiful red and blue parrots 
flew whistling away. Other birds of bright plumage 
fluttered about among the branches above them. But 
Casta and his father had been used to these things all 
their lives. They did not even turn their eyes to no¬ 
tice them. 

The curac shrubs were found at last, and were easily 
pulled up from the ground. Then the hunter and his 
son made their way home with their load. 

They were talking of the coming hunt. There were 

manv animals in the forest that would make a rare 
*/ 

feast, but the two wished, above all things, to find some 
agouti. The flesh of these animals wa » sweet and white 
and tender. Casta and his father had not had any 
for several days. They must certainly find some 
agouti. 

By the time they reached home with the curac, the 
sun was high in the heavens and the air was hot and 
still. They would not make the poison till the late 
afternoon, when it would be cooler. So they stretched 
themselves under the trees and were soon fast asleep. 

The long shadows were falling across their faces 


162 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


when Casta awoke. He jumped up and rubbed his 
eyes. Then he looked over to his father, who w T as still 
soundly sleeping. 

A single slant of light from the late afternoon sun 
shone down through the trees upon the man’s head. 
There, close beside it, was a bright red spot about as 
large as his hand. What could it be? Casta idly 
wondered as he moved towards the hut. 

“ I will go back to see,” he said, and he turned 
around. 

The red spot had begun to move. It had stretched 
itself out into a long red and cream-colored line. One 
end of it was lifted. In this the boy could see two 
bead-like eyes. 

It was a coral snake, one of the most beautiful and 
deadly of all serpents. 

“ Ah-h! ” Casta drew a long breath. 

Snatching a stick from the ground, he sprang at the 
snake and struck it to the earth. It was not killed by 
the blow. The young Indian knew this, for he could 
see its tail quiver and squirm. 

“ Very well, I strike you again,” he muttered. “ You 
ought to have kept away from my father. Then you 
might have lived.” 

At the sound of the next blow the man w T oke up and 
saw what had happened. 


CASTA, TEE OTHOMACA 


1G3 


“ Good!” he said. “ You did well, Casta. But 
come, we must make our poison.” 

While Casta and his father were at work, the hoy’s 
mother was busy getting supper. She made a fire out¬ 
doors in front of the hut. When it had burned down 
so that there were some hot embers, she threw in a large 
piece of venison. It was from the deer her husband 
had killed the day before. 

In a few moments she poked the venison out with a 
long stick. The outside of it was black and charred, 
but her family would not mind that in the least. All 
their meat was cooked so. They thought it must he 
the best way in the world. 

It was quite dark when they had finished supper. 
Now was the pleasantest time of the day, or rather 
night. 

Casta and his parents joined their neighbors, who 
were sitting or lying about under the trees. Some were 
smoking, some dancing, and others were telling or lis¬ 
tening to stories. 

By and by one of the men brought a rude flute out 
of his hut and made music for the dancers. At least 
it seemed music to those wild, red people of- the Orinoco. 
There was no tune. It was more like the sound of the 
wind through the tree tops,— now high and sharp, now 
soft and low. 


164 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


At the same time the frogs, on the banks of the river 
near by, were giving a concert of their own. They 
croaked and they whistled; some of them fairly roared 
at times. But the red people did not notice them. 

The great round moon came out and smiled down 
upon the earth. h T ow and then an owl hooted, or a 
paroquet, disturbed in its sleep, gave a shrill cry. 
Swarms of mosquitoes flew buzzing about, but they did 
not bother the red people. 

Casta could not remember that he had ever in his life 
been bitten by a mosquito. Bor some reason these in¬ 
sects do not seem to care for the blood of the red men. 
But farther down the river, on the grassy plains, the 
white people were tortured by these troublesome little 
jiests. 

AFTER AGOUTI. 

Early the next morning, Casta started out into the 
forest with his father and another hunter. They car¬ 
ried their bows and poisoned arrows. Casta’s father 
took a spear also. 

“We shall not go far before we find the agouti,” said 
the father. “ They are plentiful in our forests.” 

“ Perhaps- we shall find other game, too,” responded 
his friend, “ but there is nothing better than agouti.” 

They had gone only a short distance when Casta, 
who was ahead of the others, came creeping back. 


CASTA, THE OTHOMACA 


165 


“ I just discovered an ant-bear/’ he said. “ It is 
only a little way ahead of us. It was slouching along, 
smelling the ground at every step. It was hunting for 
the trails of ants.” 

The two men looked at each other. The flesh of the 
ant-bear made a good feast, they thought. It was black 
and had a queer, musky flavor, but they liked it very 
much. 

u Casta, walk with us. Do not hurry. Move very 
softly. We must get that ant-bear,” whispered his 
father. 

The hunters made no haste. They did not wish the 
ant-bear to hear them and take fright. It moved so 
slowly they were quite sure they could overtake it. 

In a few minutes they saw, on a sandy knoll ahead 
of them, a queer, clumsy-looking animal. It was cov¬ 
ered with long, loose hair and its tail swept the ground. 
Black stripes, edged with white, reached along its sides. 

The oddest part of this queer animal was its long 
snout, above which were stupid eyes. 

It was the ant-bear Casta had seen a few minutes 
before. The big, clumsy creature had just scented an 
ant-hill and he was about to attack it. 

As he walked, the soft pads on the outer edges of 
his feet touched the ground. But underneath, curled 
up out of sight, were long, sharp claws. 


,166 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


He stopped directly in front of a large ant-liill. Into 
the hill went the strong claws, tearing it wide open. 
On the instant, thousands of ants came running out in 
great excitement to find out why they had been dis¬ 
turbed. 

This was just what their enemy wanted. TIis long 
tongue flew out, and he licked up mouthful after mouth¬ 
ful of the insects. He had no teeth. Ants were his 
only food. All those to he found in one hill would 
make only a lunch for this big creature. 

The hunters stood and watched him. There was 
nothing to fear. He was too stupid to do them any 
harm. 

“ Let him have his fill,” Casta’s father said to his 
friend. “ It is the last food he will ever eat. Before 
we kill him, let us play with him.” 

At last the ant-bear turned around. When he saw T ' 
the three Indians watching him he started to run. But 
it was such a rolling, awkward gallop that the hunters 
could keep up by walking fast. 

After a little while the ant-bear seemed to under¬ 
stand that it was of no use to try, he could not get out 
of their reach. He must make a stand. He stood up 
clumsily on his hind legs and stretched out his fore 
paws to defend himself. If one of the enemy came 
close he would try to hug the man to death. 


CASTA, THE OTHOMACA 


167 


Casta’s father laughed at the sight. At the same 
time he made a motion for the boy to shoot. 

Casta was watching for the sign. He was proud that 
he was allowed to take part in the hunt. Hext time, 
perhaps, he might attack a more dangerous animal. lie 
would do his best now to show how well he could 
shoot. 

The poisoned arrow flew through the air and entered 
the throat of the ant-bear. Almost instantly he fell 
dead. 

The hunters wondered what they would find next. 
In their forest there were many kinds of animals. The 
ant-bear was good, but they still wished to find some 
agouti. 

They went slowly on their way, looking and listening 
at every step. A monkey dropped a nut down on 
Casta’s head. When the boy started and looked up, 
the monkey chattered in delight. 

Here and there lizards darted about among the fallen 
leaves. Once Casta almost stepped on a wicked-looking 
snake. He sprang to one side just in time. The snake 
scuttled away and the boy was safe. 

“ Look! ” said Casta’s father, in a low tone. 

Ilis friend heard him, but Casta was some distance 
behind. Close by, in the hollow trunk of a tree that 
had fallen across their path, the men could see four big, 


168 


TEN INDIAN IIUNTEUS 


bright eyes looking out at them. Above the eyes were 
four rounded ears. 

A mother agouti had left her two little ones to go 
in search of food. 

By this time Casta had come up to the men. He ran 
to the tree and peeked in. Yes, there were two pretty 
little speckled agouti. Perhaps they were too young 
to fight; still the boy would not trust his hands to pull 
them out. 

“ We shall find more agouti near by,” he cried in 
delight. 

He was quite right. Before five minutes had passed 
the hunters had come upon a swarm of them. 

They looked something like rabbits, except that they 
were much larger. Their hair was coarse and of so 
many different colors that it looked speckled. 

Many of them were busily eating. They sat up on 
their hind legs, holding their food in their paws. They 
turned their heads from side to side, listening for 
sounds of danger. Some were eating roots; others nuts 
or berries. 

Although the hunters had stolen upon them very 
softly, the agouti caught the slight sound they made. 
Those that were not eating sat up like the others and 
looked with frightened eyes towards the place where 
the hunters had hidden themselves in the brush. 


CASTA, THE 0 TIIOM AC A 


169 


A few of them had already started to flee, with long 
leaps over the ground, when three arrows came speeding 
among them. Three agouti fell helpless to the earth. 
Three more arrows followed closely upon the first ones, 
and three more agouti dropped where they were. 

By this time all the others were fleeing through the 
brush. They scattered in all directions, with the hunt¬ 
ers following close upon them. 

Whenever the Indians saw a specially large and fat 
one, they sent their arrows flying in that direction, and 
it was almost a certainty that the agouti would be struck 
and brought down. 

It was great sport for Casta. He leaped over piles 
of brush, he ran over the cleared places, again and again 
his arrow was set and discharged. Hot a moment did 
he waste. 

“ My son shoots well,” thought his father. “ By and 
by I will take him on longer hunts. lie will not be 
afraid of the wild creatures of the forest.” 

Each of the men had brought a large skin bag. As 
soon as the hunt was over, Casta went to pick up the 
agouti that had been killed. He hopped about like a 
young monkey and soon filled the bags. 

In the meantime the two men stretched themselves 
under a large palm tree and watched the boy at his 
work. 


170 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ Ugh! ” Casta’s father cried. 

He sprang up from the ground as though he had 
been shot. At that very moment his son came towards 
him, dragging the bags, which were almost bursting 
with the game. 

“ Zizz-z-z-z.” 

All three heard the sound. They knew what it was. 
A rattlesnake was close at hand. 

Casta dropped the bags and seized a broken limb. 

“ No, no, Casta. We must not kill the snake. 
Trouble then ! If he dies by your hand all other rattle¬ 
snakes will seek to kill you,” said his father. “ We 
will go away from here. There is a nest of them. I 
can smell them.” 

The man was right about the nest. The disagree¬ 
able odor of the snakes tilled the air. But the hunters 
did not move far enough away to get out of danger. 

“ Zizz-z-z,” sounded again, and at that very moment 
Casta felt a sudden sharp sting on the calf of liis leg. 

“ Ah ! I am bitten,” he cried. 

Without pausing a single second, the father threw 
himself on the ground beside the boy. Yes, there were 
the marks of the snake’s fangs! There was no doubt 
about it. 

With his two hands he seized the flesh of the leg 
on each side of the bitten part. He applied his lips 


CASTA, TIIE OTHOMACA 


171 


to the wound and began to suck the blood from it. The 
skin around it had already begun to change color. 

The father kept on sucking, again and again spitting 
out the blood he drew from the wound. It was twenty 
minutes before the leg began to come back to its natural 
color. Then, and not till then, did the man stop. 

He had saved Casta’s life. 

Hever before had the boy been in such danger. It 
seemed as though he hardly breathed while his father 
was at work on the wound. If it had not been done 
at once, nothing could have kept him from great suffer¬ 
ing, and perhaps death. 

There had been enough hunting for that day. Every¬ 
one agreed to that. The men shouldered the bags, 
filled with game, and they all went home more soberly 
than they had started out. 

IN SEARCH OF ANACONDAS. 

“ Casta, I shall hunt the big serpents. We need 
skins for shoes. You may go with me.” 

The boy jumped up, throwing away the cocoanut he 
had half eaten. 

lie had never hunted anacondas. His father bad al¬ 
ways left him at home, before this, when he went after 
the big snakes. 


172 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ You are too small/’ he had always said. “ By and 
by you will be bigger. Then you may go.” 

Casta bad looked forward to the time when be should 
be old enough and big enough for all kinds of bunting. 
There were many varieties of wild creatures in the 
great forests, and the boy wanted to know them all. 
Tie could shoot well. His father knew this and was 
only waiting for his son to get a little stronger. 

Casta had seen more than one of the big serpents. 
Once he was out in his canoe on the river, quite alone. 
He was near the shore, when he noticed a wicked-look¬ 
ing head, with two glittering eyes, above the surface 
of the water. Behind the head, but just under the 
water, trailed the long, fat, blackish-green body of an 
anaconda. The snake moved in and out, after the man¬ 
ner of an eel. Sometimes the head disappeared be¬ 
neath the surface. The snake was hunting for fish. 

The boy moved a safe distance out into the stream, 
and then drew in his paddle to watch its movements. 
He did not have long to wait. By this time the ana¬ 
conda had made his way close to the shore. 

The big body, which had been stretched out at length, 
suddenly coiled itself around some object. The snake 
drew himself up out of the stream. 

Casta saw that a fish was tightly held in the strong 
folds. At first it wriggled a little, but it was no match 


CASTA, TEE OTHOMACA 


173 


for the strength of the anaconda. It was quickly 
crushed to death. 

The monster snake, sure of his prey, let it fall on the 
ground. Then he seized it in his mouth and began 
to swallow it, head first. 

“ I will not land anywhere near that place,” thought 
the hoy as he sat watching. “ I should not care to 
have the serpent make a dinner of me.” 

As he walked along with his father, on the morning 
of the snake hunt, he told about the time when he had 
watched the anaconda fishing. 

“ You need not have feared to bring your boat near 
him,” said the man. “ On land he moves slowly and is 
timid. But a rattlesnake! Ah, that is different.” 

Casta shuddered. He would never forget that day 
last week when his father saved his life by sucking the 
rattlesnake poison out of his leg. After this he would 
always be on the lookout for that dangerous serpent. 

The red man and his son soon reached the banks of 
the great Orinoco River. At this part of it the water 
flowed sluggishly. It was the very place to find ana¬ 
condas. 

“ Look carefully, Casta,” said his father. “ It may 
be we shall find one of them stretched on the bank in 
the sunshine. If there are none here this morning, we 
will go back a little way into the forest, where they lie 


174 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


in wait for agoutis and monkeys on their way to get 
a drink. I have even known an anaconda to kill and 
swallow a big ant-eater.” 

Casta ran here and there along the hank while his 
father watched the shallow water near the shore. But 
no anacondas were in sight. 

“ Here is a big turtle, though,” cried the boy, after 
an hour’s search. “ lie. is a fat fellow. Let us kill 
him.” 

The turtle was soon dispatched by blows from a big 
club. Then the hunter and his son continued their 
search for the serpent. 

They were about to give up, when Casta ran to his 
father’s side and whispered, 

“ Look, look! ” 

At the same time he pointed to a fallen tree trunk a 
little way from the shore. 

Sure enough, there, stretched at full length, was an 
anaconda. He was at least twenty feet long. His 
eyes were only half open, as if he were nearly asleep. 
Probably, however, he was watching for prey. 

“ Don’t be afraid,” Casta’s father whispered to him. 
“ Use your club. Strike heavy blows. At this time 
of the year the serpent is the most stupid. I am sure 
we can kill him. Now, ready! ” 

The Indian began to creep slowly up behind the 


CASTA, TEE OTEOMACA 


175 


snake. Casta followed close in his footsteps. He held 
his club ready to strike. 

As they drew near, the anaconda slowly lifted his 
head and turned it towards them. He was a dangerous- 
looking creature. 

“ How! now, with me,” the man exclaimed. 

Down came two strong blows on the snake’s head. 
They fell side by side and almost together. 

The anaconda was by no means dead yet. It would 
take a good deal more than this to kill him. His im¬ 
mense body writhed heavily on the ground, doubling 
and twisting. 

“ Be careful, Casta. Keep out of reach. He is still 
strong,” cried the boy’s father. 

Both he and his son sprang about in a lively way. 
At the same time they dealt blow after blow with all 
their might. 

Again and again they thought their work was'done 
and stopped to get their breath. But every time the 
serpent began to show new signs of life. 

“ Our arrows now, Casta,” said his father, after a 
while. “ We should have used them before. The 
poison will do its work more quickly than our 
clubs.” 

A few minutes more and the huge body of the ana¬ 
conda lay motionless. The ground all around was dug 




176 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


up and trodden, telling that a great struggle had been 
going on. 

“ It is a fine one/’ said Casta, looking with pride 
at the dead body. 

“ Yes,” his father replied. “ It is larger than any 
I ever got before in my life. You shall have high 
shoes from its skin, Casta,— you as well as myself. 
Then rattlesnakes cannot harm you so easily. How 
we will take off the skin.” 

The Indian drew a long knife from its sheath. ITe 
soon had the skin cut away from the flesh. 

“ Father, an old hunter came among us the other 
day,” said Casta, as they went hack to the village. 
“ You were out in the forest. The man was gone when 
you returned. He told us people of the forest many 
things. 

“ He had traveled many miles and had even been 
where the river flows out into the big water. He has 
seen white men and the places where they live. 

“ But the strangest thing he saw was a creature that 
lives in the big water. It comes up into the river, how¬ 
ever, and is sometimes seen lying on the bank. Its face 
is like a man’s, but its body is more like that of a fish.” 

The body of the manatee, or sea-cow, of which Casta 
was speaking, is more like that of a seal than of a fish, 
but the boy had never seen nor heard of a seal. 


177 


CASTA, THE OTHOMACA 

f 

u It is gentle and harmless,” the boy continued. 
“ Men kill it with arrows or lances. They like the 
flesh and sometimes they dry it and keep it for a long 
time.” 

Columbus saw the manatee when he came to America. 
When he went back to Europe he said to the people: 

“ At last I have seen a mermaid, a real mermaid. 
Some of you believe there is no such creature, but I 
know now that there are mermaids.” 

Nowadays people laugh when they think of the words 
of Columbus. It is so amusing to think that the gentle, 
stupid sea-cow should ever have been taken for the 
fabled mermaid, or sea-woman. 

Casta and his father were both silent for some time 
after the boy had told about the manatee. The sun 
was already setting when they were only half way 
home. Long shadows were falling upon the ground. 
The blackness of a dark night was almost upon them. 

A SWARM OF ENEMIES. 

“ Casta, hurry. Night-prowling wild beasts will 
soon be abroad,” said his father. 

The man had hardly spoken the last word, when both 
he and Casta heard a great rustling of the grass and 
a snapping of twigs. It was close at hand. 


178 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ Quick, Casta. Peccaries! Take to a tree,” cried 
the father, in excited tones. 

There was not a moment to lose. The hunters had 
hardly settled themselves among the branches of two 
big trees, when a mass of brown, black and gray animals 
rushed through the nearby brush. 

They had long snouts and were covered with coarse 
bristles. They looked much like hogs, except that their 
bodies were more slender. 

They had scented the two Indians and now they sur¬ 
rounded the trees of refuge. 

“ Ugh! Ugh ! ” grunted Casta’s father. “ They 
cannot reach us. We are safe.” 

Neither he nor Casta, however, could help shivering, 
as they heard the constant snapping of the peccaries’ 
teeth beneath them. The savage animals were hungry 
for a dinner of human flesh. 

“ Have you your bow and arrows, Casta ? ” asked his 
father. “ Shoot if you can.” 

“ I have them, but I can scarcely see one peccary 
from another,” was the answer. 

“ Watch me. Climb down a little lower; you are 
safe so long as you are out of their reach,” said the man. 

The hunter climbed down till he was not more than a 
foot above the snouts of the peccaries as they stood up 
on their hind legs. 



CASTA TREED BY MOUNTAIN HOGS 






















































CASTA, THE 0 THOM AC A 


179 


All this time they kept snapping their teeth in an 
ugly way, pushing and crowding each other around the 
trees from which Casta and his father looked down 
upon them. 

“ Now, Casta! ” 

At these words an arrow flew downward. There was 
an ugly grunt and squeal, but the snapping and grating 
of teeth continued. 

Casta was brave enough to follow his father’s ex¬ 
ample. After this there was a steady flying of arrows 
into the raging mass. More grunting and squealing 
followed. A number of the peccaries must have been 
killed or wounded, yet the others did not seem to take 
fright or have any notion of leaving. 

The last arrow had been discharged! 

“ What shall we do now, father ? ” 

“ Stay here all night,” was the answer. “ There is 
nothing else for us.” 

The hunter was quite right. Both he and his son 
would have been killed if they had gone down. Noth¬ 
ing could have saved them from the angry wild pigs. 

They settled themselves as comfortably as possible, 
to watch and wait. The peccaries watched and waited 
too. 

It was the longest night of Casta’s life. Hour 
after hour went by and there was no change. Still 


180 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Casta could hear the snapping of teeth below him. Still 
the rushing and crowding continued. When it was 
nearly daylight it began to grow quieter. 

“ They are going away. I shall he so glad to go 
home/’ said the poor, tired hoy. 

When the early sun shone forth, Casta and his father 
looked down upon the ground below them. It was as 
trampled and torn up as though a great battle had been 
fought there. 

The hunters counted five dead peccaries. 

“ Home, Casta! We shall not wait. Later on we 
will come back with others to get our game. But home, 
now.” 

The boy needed no urging. Ilis feet sped over the 
ground. In a few minutes he and his father entered 
the village, to tell the story of the day and the night 
before. 

As Casta grew older he became a great hunter. He 
overcame the jaguar in the deep forest; he fought the 
boa constrictor; he had many dangerous adventures; 
but he never forgot the night in the treetop when he 
had to hold himself out of reach of the angry, raging 
peccaries. 


COMUX, 

The Nootka Hunter 


00K, Kumtux! Turn the boat. Paddle 

-Li straight into the west. It is what I thought. 
The whales are appearing once more, and the hunt will 
shortly begin.” 

The speaker was a young Indian about eighteen years 
of age. His voice was low and earnest, as his bright, 
black eyes looked keenly out upon the broad waters of 
the Pacific Ocean. 

“ Pull in your line then, Comux. Ho more fish to¬ 
day,” replied his friend. 

As the man spoke he looked proudly towards some 
large halibut lying in the bottom of the boat. 

“ I am satisfied,” declared Comux. “ The sight of 
that whale has taken away the thought of everything 
else. Let us pull with a will, and get as near the crea¬ 
ture as possible.” 

For the next few minutes not a word was spoken. 

181 



182 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


Nearer and nearer the boat moved, towards an immense, 
dark object which seemed hardly to stir from the place 
where the young hunter’s eyes first discovered it. 

“ It is a mother whale and her little one,” cried 
Comux excitedly. “ See! She rocks slowly from side 
to side, holding the baby fast with her fins. I wish we 
had our harpoons with us this very moment.” 

“ You forget, Comux,” said his friend slowly. 
“ You would not hunt the whale except by order of our 
chief.” 

“ Yes, that is true. But do you know, I am hoping 
that he will choose me to go with him on a whale hunt. 
He has looked with favor upon me ever since I went 
with the last war party.” 

“ I am glad that you now have a good name. I hope 
you will not be disappointed.” 

The older man looked with pride at his young friend. 
He had known Comux ever since the latter was a baby. 
He had no children of his own ^nd, as Comux’s father 
was dead, he had come to love the young fellow as much 
as though he belonged to him. 

“ Come, let us go home and tell the news,” said Kum- 
tux, when they had brought the boat as near the great 
monster of the sea as they dared. 

They were three good miles from shore. But their 
arms were strong. They bent to their work, and with 


COMUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


183 


long, strong strokes they came steadily and swiftly 
towards the land. 

/ 

“ A whale! a whale! ” cried Comux to an old woman 
digging clams on the seashore, as the boat grazed on 
the sand. 

A moment afterwards he entered the village and 
made his way to the chief’s honse. It was smaller than 
the others and stood a little apart from them. No one 
could mistake it, for three rafters of stout wood were 
raised above the roof. They said as plainly as words: 

“ Behold the home of the chief! ” 

Queer-looking figures were painted in different colors 
on the outside of the house. The posts were decorated 
with odd carving. It must have taken many weeks of 
hard work to do them. 

The chief was at home. When he heard the news 
he said: 

“ Comux, you shall be one of my whale hunters. 
You are strong and brave. You will be a good helper.” 

“ What a noble-looking man is our chief,” Comux 
thought, as he left the house. “ And his blanket! 
How beautiful it is, and how well it becomes him! ” 

The garment of which Comux was thinking was made 
of cypress bark mixed with dog’s hair. It looked much 
like straw matting. It was painted in different colors 
and was bordered with a broad band of fur. 


184 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


“ Yet, it is very beautiful/’ Comux repeated, as lie 
looked down at his own red blanket. “ It is a great 
thing to be a chief and wear a garment like that.” 

A moment afterward he stood in front of his own 
home. What a big building it was,— at least a hun¬ 
dred feet long. But this was because many families 
shared it together. 

Comux entered the house and walked along the pas¬ 
sageway that stretched through the middle of the build¬ 
ing. On either side were rows of big stalls, each of 
which was the home of one family. The young man 
stopped at one of these and went inside. 

“ Mother,” he cried, to an old woman bending over 
the fireplace in the middle of the floor, “ the whale hunt¬ 
ing will begin at once, and the chief has chosen me to 
go with him.” 

As Comux spoke, he threw a large halibut at her 
feet. 

“ I left one at the chief’s house,” he added, as his 
mother turned to pick up the fish. 

“ It is good news,” said the woman as she looked up 
at her son. “ Good news. I am proud of you, Co¬ 
mux.” 

Then she went on with her preparations for supper, 
while her son threw himself on one of the raised couches 
stretching along the walls. He was tired and he closed 



CO MUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


185 


his eyes, but he did not sleep. Pictures of the coming 
whale hunt were before his eyes. 

The place was filled with smoke. Indeed, how could 
it be otherwise ? There was no chimney overhead, nor 
even windows in the walls, and the burning logs made 
the air heavy. Yet Comux and his mother did not 
seem to mind it in the least; they had been used to such 
a home all their lives. 

When the supper was over, Comux went outside to 
join his friends and talk over the doings of the day. 
One by one the stars came peeping out of the heavens 
and blinked down upon the earth. 

“ They would speak to us if they could,” Comux 
thought. “ How much they could tell us! Perhaps 
they would say, ‘ My red children, we know the haunts 
of the whale and the otter. We see the bears in their 
hiding places, and the flying creatures at rest among the 
forest-trees. Yes, we know all these things and more 
too. But you must find them out for yourselves. It 
is best for you! 7 ” 

Comux yawned. “ I must go to my sleep,” he said 
to his young friends, getting up and stretching himself. 
“ When the sun rises in the morning I, too, will rise and 
begin work. Harpoon and boat must be got in readi¬ 
ness. At any moment the chief may have need of my 
help.” 


186 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS' 


THE WHALE HUNT. 

Early the next day the sounds of chisel and hammer 
were heard outside the lodge, for Comux had kept his 
word and risen with the first streak of dawn. 

In the first place, he must overhaul his boat. How 
hard he had worked when he made it last year. He had 
gone into the forest and searched carefully for a pine 
tree that should be thick enough for his needs. Then 
patiently, stroke by stroke, he drove a stone chisel into 
the trunk, by means of heavy blows with a stone ham¬ 
mer. Many were these blows before the great tree 
began to tremble and totter. Streams of sweat poured 
down the young man’s face. 

But his courage was good. Without stopping to rest 
he kept on with his work. Ah! one more stroke, and 
the great tree swung over and fell with a mighty crash. 

A family of squirrels near by were frightened from 
their home and came scurrying past the young woods¬ 
man. A big snake, curled up in the pine needles cover¬ 
ing the ground, moved away with a swish as he grazed 
the Indian’s feet. 

Comux did not notice any of these living creatures; 
he was too busy looking at the fallen trunk and plan¬ 
ning the boat that should be carved out of the wood. 

He had done enough for that day. To-morrow he 


CO MUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


187 


would mark off that part of the trunk he needed and 
would split it away from the rest of the tree with 
wooden wedges. 

Now for the shaping of the boat and the digging out 
of the wood. Once more he would use his flint chisel. 
He would also need the gimlet he had shaped from the 
hone of a bird, and the adze made from a muscle shell. 
These were his only tools. 

Day after day Comux worked at his task, and at last 
he was able to show his friends that he had a boat of 
his own of which he could well be proud. 

When he had painted the inside red, and the outside 
a dull black; and when he had carved the figure of a 
sea otter and fastened the head of the creature to the 
bow and the tail to the stern, he stood back to admire 
his work. Never before in his life had he owned any¬ 
thing so beautiful. 

“ Well done, Comux,” cried one after another of the 
villagers, as they gathered around the boat. 

“ Good! good! ” proudly declared his foster-father. 

It was a happy day for the young man, and it ended 
in a feast of fish and game which his mother prepared 
for her son and his friends. 

Now that the boat would be used in the coming whale 
hunt, Comux wished to decorate it still more. “ I will 
take all the seals’ teeth I have saved and fasten them 


188 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


along the rail of my boat/’ he told his mother. “ Then 
it will look finer than ever, as fine as any of them.” 

Comux was rather small, like the rest of his people 
on Vancouver Island, but he was strong and healthy and 
not quickly tired. lie worked with a will, and his boat 
was soon all ready for the whale hunt. 

How for the harpoon. Comux took two barbed bones 
and fastened muscle-shell tips on them, the whole being 
set on the end of a short pole. Each harpoon was 
fastened to a short rope of whale sinew and this was 
attached to a long rope of bark. At the other end of 
the rope the hunter tied a water-tight bag made of seal¬ 
skin, for a buoy. 

The shaft of wood was fastened to the harpoon head 
in such a way that it would easily separate from it after 
it had been thrown. 

The worker stopped once or twice to look at his arms 
and feel of his muscles. When he was once out on 
the ocean with the party of whale hunters, and in the 
midst of danger, would he throw his harpoon with as 
much strength as the others ? Would he send it straight 
to the mark ? Yes, he believed he would succeed. 

While he was still at work, news came to the village 
that other whales had been seen within four miles of 
the shore. The chief at once set a day for the great 
hunt. 


COMUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


189 


The whale blubber from last year’s hunt had long 
since been used up in the village, blow good it would 
seem to have a fresh supply, besides plenty of fresh 
whale oil to eat with halibut and other fish! 

Everyone in the place was interested, and the little 
beach was lined with people as the chief and his chosen 
men sprang into their boats and paddled out into the 
west. 

It was early morning when they started. At noon 
not a whale had been seen, though the hunters had gone 
six miles from shore and all eyes had been kept busy 
watching for some sign. Two o’clock, three, four, 
passed by and the sun was moving fast toward his home 
in the heavens, when Comux lifted his hand and pointed. 
At the same time he called to his companion in the 
boat: 

“ Look! Look quickly! ” 

A spouting of water could be seen in the distance. 
It w r as a whale coming to the surface to breathe. 
This was not all, for a moment afterwards several 
of these water-spouts could be seen not far from the 
first. 

It was a “ school ” of whales, without doubt. 

The eyes of all the hunters were turned towards them 
by this time. Were the whales traveling toward some 
distant part of the ocean, or were they only frolicking 


190 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


together? If the latter, then the boats could easily 
reach them and the fight would soon begin. 

Hardly a word was spoken in the next half-hour. 
Steadily, though slowly, the hunting party drew near 
their prey. The harpoons were in their places, ready 
to be seized at any moment, while the chief kept his 
eyes fixed on the waters ahead. 

They were now so near they must take the greatest 
care, for danger lay ahead. 

The water was so disturbed by the antics of the great 
animals that the boats rocked violently, and more than 
one of the hunters was wet to the skin. Again and 
again a whale threw a large part of his body above the 
surface, in sport. Then, perhaps, he would plunge 
straight downward, leaving only his tail in sight. 

The creatures were having a merry time. Little did 
they care for the boats that must have seemed so tiny 
in their eyes. 

And now, for some reason, the frolic of the whales 
came to an end. Perhaps they were hungry and were 
about to seek food. At any rate, they dived beneath 
the surface of the water, and only occasionally could a 
tail of one of them be seen, raised in playful sport 
above the waves. 

Quick now! There was not a moment to be lost. 
The men must watch for the spot where the water- 


COMTJX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


191 


spout should next appear. Then the boats must fairly 
fly, and the harpoons be ready to spring to their 
work. 

Ah! They were now close upon one monster. The 
top of his back could be plainly seen above the water. 

Taster and faster flew the boats. Tow was the right 
moment. 

Whiz! flew a harpoon from the hand of an old hunter. 
Comux followed this with another. Both of them en¬ 
tered the whale’s body before he had time to dive. 

Tow was the time of danger. Back! back! out of 
the way! The maddened monster lashed the water in 
all directions with his powerful tail. One of the frail 
boats would have been smashed into little bits if struck. 

“ Take care! Take care! ” warned one of Comux’s 
companions, as he stood up in the boat to hurl another 
harpoon. 

The warning came none too soon. The next instant 
the boat stood almost on end from a blow given by the 
whale’s tail. Then it righted itself, and the men set 
to their work anew. 

The great monster of the deep gave a spring into the 
air and fell over on its back, dead. 

By this time the night was setting in; a dark, cloudy 
' night without a moon. It was time to hasten home. 
The boats would have to tow the whale to the beach 


192 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


below the village. By the next morning’s early light 
the men would begin the cutting up of their prey at 
their leisure. 

It had been a good day’s work and many feasts 
would follow. 

That night, when the women gathered on the shore 
to welcome the returning hunters, there was great joy 
at the good news. Ho one had been hurt, and near the 
water’s edge lay the monster of the ocean, a great store¬ 
house of the riches most cared for by the people. 

Early the next morning all hands were busily at work 
cutting away the skin of the whale. Just beneath it 
lay the precious blubber. Some of this would be eaten, 
and the rest tried out by the squaws to furnish oil for 
many useful purposes. 

When the body of the whale had been disposed of 
the head was still left, and this was a very mine of 
treasures in itself. 

“ How strange it is,” said Comux, as he helped cut 
away the plates of bone which hung down from the roof 
of the whale’s mouth, “ how strange it is that this great 
animal, whose head is nearly half as long as the rest of 
his body, should have such a small throat.” 

Kumtux heard him and answered, “ That is why the 
Great Bather has made a sieve of bone in his mouth, 
so that only herring and other small creatures can pass 


'COMUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


193 


into the throat. Otherwise the whale might choke to 
death in eating.” 


ALONG THE SHORE. 

Comux’s mother was digging clams for dinner. Her 
basket was nearly full when Comux and Kumtux came 
hurrying along the beach. 

“ After seals, mother/’ said her son, as he went on 
his way. 

She stopped in her work to watch the men. Their 
shoulders w 7 ere covered with sealskins, and each one car¬ 
ried a wooden mask in his hand, as well as his bow and 
arrows. 

“ When they put on those masks and begin to creep 
on all-fours, the stupid seals will believe that their 
brothers are coming to play with them,” she muttered. 
Then, with a grim smile, she went on with her digging. 

The men had walked several miles before they caught 
a glimpse of any game. Suddenly Kumtux stopped. 

“ An otter,” he whispered. “ Look ahead of you to 
the rock almost out of sight around that curve. Yes, 
it is indeed.” 

“ Ho, yes,— there are two,” declared Comux. “ But 
the second one is so small it must be a baby. Look! 
The mother is playing with the little one.” 

“ Hot a sound more, if it can be helped,” was the 


194 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


reply. “ Let ns make our way inland and then creep 
down upon them. A young sea-otter will be a rare 
treat in the village. But we know how easily the 
mother will take fright. We must use the greatest 
care.” 

Hot another word was spoken while the men turned 
their course in from the shore. Then they went on till 
they had reached a point directly behind the otter. 

They began to creep softly over the ground, as only 
Indians can. Before them was a little hillock. When 
they were close to its edge they raised themselves enough 
to look over the top and down upon the shore. 

j 

The otters were below them. Without a sound the 
hunters raised their bows and set the poisoned arrows 
to the strings. They looked at each other an instant. 
Then, at the same moment, they shot. 

“ Good! good! ” cried Kumtux when, a minute after¬ 
wards, he and Comux examined their prey. 

“ The beautiful warm fur of the mother will make a 
warm blanket for another winter. And her flesh, as 
well as her little one’s, will furnish us good food.” 

“ No need to hunt seals to-day,” declared Comux. 

“ Ho, we have something much rarer and better to 
take home with us.” 

Hot many days after this, however, Comux joined a 
party of young friends and went many miles down the 


COMUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


195 


shore after seals. They took by surprise a herd of the 
shy creatures. The men looked so like seals themselves 
and, indeed, they moved so much like them, it is no 
wonder they were able to catch and kill a number of 
the wary creatures. 

Before the hunt was over Comux caught a live, baby 
seal. As he looked at its pretty brown eyes, he thought: 

“ I will not kill the poor thing. I will take it home 
and give it to the children in my house for a pet. They 
can tame it very easily and can teach it to do tricks.” 

But by the time the young hunter had got hack to the 
village, he had changed his mind and decided to keep 
the seal for himself. 

Indian though he was, he began to love the helpless 
little seal. It soon learned to follow him like a dog. 
Sometimes, when he would let it, it swam behind his 
boat when he went fishing. Or again, if he drove it 
back, it would wait patiently on the shore till his return. 

How glad the seal was when his master got back from 
the trip! It gave little barks of delight, and its pretty 
brown eyes shone with love as it watched every motion 
Comux made. 

Comux was a good fisherman. When the salmon 
were plentiful in August and September, he was busy 
with hook and line, basket, net and spear. There were 
many ways of getting the fish. 


196 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


During tlie warm days of July, lie and his men 
friends carved many sharp hooks out of hones. They 
stripped the bark from maple trees, and from this and 
the sinews of whales they made their lines. They 
shaped long spears from forked poles, fastening to 
them prongs pointed with sharp fish bones. 

u We must also have nets ready/’ declared Kumtux. 
u Dor we must get the salmon in every possible way.” 

“ Yes, that is so,” replied Comux. “ We cannot 
have too many of the good dried fish to last us through 
the winter.” 

The women helped in making these nets. Wild flax 
and nettles were gathered for this purpose, and many 
busy fingers did a great deal in a short time. 

Dot far from the village there was a broad, clear 
stream that flowed into the ocean. Every year the 
salmon ran up into this stream in great numbers. 

“ I have a good plan,” Comux said to his young 
friends. “ Let us make a pavement of white stones 

across the bed of the stream. Then we can more easilv 

«/ 

see the fish as they pass up from the river, and catch 
very many more of them in our nets.” 

“ I heard of the men of another village doing that 
very thing,” said one of the young men. “ It is a 
good thought. Let us set to work.” 

By the next noon all preparations had been made. 



COMUX AND HIS PET SEAL 























































COMUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 197 

Men, women and children began to watch eagerly for 
the first signs of the coming salmon. 

They did not have long to wait. A shoal soon ap¬ 
peared off the shore: then another, and another. 
Everyone of the tribe was now busy. 

The women cleaned and dried the fish as the men 
caught them. Even the children could help a little; 
they were as happy as the big folks when they looked 
at the beautiful shining fish and thought of the coming 
feasts. 

Perhaps the best sport was the spearing by torch¬ 
light, after the sun had set and left the world in dark¬ 
ness. Then Comux was always to he found wherever a 
party of young men were preparing for the spearing. 
When all was ready, they set out with torches of burn¬ 
ing pine knots, spears, one or two decoys, and a long 
pole. 

When Comux was only a little fellow, Kumtux had 
taken him on a night trip after salmon. They pad- 
died their boat to the middle of a stream. 

“ Watch what I do,” the man had told the boy. 

He pushed the decoy far down into the water by 
means of a long pole. Then, when he suddenly let go, 
the decoy bounded to the surface. The salmon were 
roused. They swam up through the deep water to 
find out what was the matter. 


198 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


This was the very thing Kumtux was wishing for. 
Spear in hand, he stood ready for his prey, and fish 
after fish was pierced by the sharp prongs of his weapon. 
Comux watched eagerly by the dim light of the torch. 
“ May I try ? ” he asked. 

It looked so easy the boy had no donbt he conld do it. 
Knmtux put the spear into the little fellow’s hands and 
once more pushed the decoy down into the water. 

Comux did his best, but the spear was too big for 
him to handle. The salmon were safe for this time at 
least. 

The next year, however, he tried again. lie was 
bigger and stronger now, and he did not fail as he had 
before. 

“ You will make a good fisherman.” 

The man gravely shook his head as he said these 
words. 

“ I must not praise the boy too much,” he thought. 
“ I must not show how proud I am, else he will become 
vain and foolish. Ho, Ho! ” 

When the salmon season w T as over and Comux had 

little to do to pass away the time, he sometimes went 

» 

on a hunting trip into the forest. Deer were always 
to be found there, but he only cared to go when they 
were most plentiful. 

He carried his bow and arrows, but he did not 


CO MUX , TEE NOOTKA HUNTER 


199 


always use them. lie liked better to spread a net into 
which the deer were driven. Then he and his com¬ 
panions would steal through the woods until they came 
upon their game. 

So softly did they travel that the timid deer did not 
dream the enemy were near till the Indians had taken 
a stand in front of them, in such a way that they were 
obliged to flee in the direction of the net. Then, when 
their slender legs were once caught in the meshes, there 
was no escape. Comux and his friends could come up 
at their leisure and dispose of them. 

One morning Comux was walking along the shore. 
He came upon a little group of children playing. 
They had made images of the wet sand, and pretended 
that these were enemies of their tribe upon whom they 
must make war. 

With scowling foreheads and fierce whoops they 
bore down upon the sand-figures and cut off their 
heads! 

Some time these little children would grow up into 
young warriors. Then they would steal into the homes 
of their enemies and, taking them by surprise, would 
kill without mercy. That was the way in which their 
fathers carried on war, and now they were practising 
so as to be like them. 

As Comux drew near, one of the children said, in the 


200 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


manner of many a white boy, “ Let us play something * 
else. I am tired of this . 57 

“ So am I,” “ and I,” said others. 

“Let’s play hunting,” cried one boy. 

It was a happy thought. 

The children left the beach and scampered up into a 
big field behind the village. There they set to work 
making queer-looking little figures of grass which they 
played Were birds and fish. Then, with all the caution 
of warriors, the children stole upon them and shot them 
down with their tiny bows and arrows. 

Comux had followed the children into the field. He 
stretched himself out on the ground to watch them. 

“ I believe I will go hunting myself,” he said. He 
felt lazy and he yawned. “ I hear that the bears are 
in great numbers over on the mainland. I will ask 
Kumtux to paddle over there with me.” 

The next morning the two men got into a boat and 
started off. They took with them plenty of food, their 
bows and arrows, and some traps. 

The wind was blowing toward the mainland, and was 
so strong that they did not need to put much strength 
into their paddling. In an hour they had reached the 
little cove to which they had directed their course. 

People of their own tribe were living here, so there 
was nothing to fear from enemies. After kind words 


COMUX, THE NOOTKA HUNTER 301 

* I * * 

with some old friends, they made their way into a forest 
of pine trees. 

“ We shall find both bears and deer, without doubt,” 
said Comux. 

“ Little do we care for the deer, but good bear steak 
would be a treat,” grunted Kumtux. 

They had not gone far before they began to look for 
tracks such as bears leave on the ground. They also 
looked at the bark of the trees to see if the animals had 
been rubbing their backs there to scratch them. 

“ Hm! ” muttered Kumtux, “ the wind is rising. 
We shall have hard work getting home. But that will 
not keep the bears in their hiding places, at any rate.” 

“ Here are fresh tracks,” suddenly called Comux. 
“ Let us follow them.” 

“ No, we will first set one of our traps,” advised the 
old hunter. 

The trap was soon set. Then the men went farther 
into the forest. They found more and more tracks. 

“ Look up into the crotch of that tree,” said Comux. 
“ A bees’ nest has been raided not an hour ago. For 
see, there is honey still running down the trunk.” 

“ The bear that feasted there has a full stomach, 
lie is getting ready for his winter’s sleep,” was the 
answer. “ Here is a good place for another trap, 
Comux.” 


202 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


When the trap had been set, the two men crept be¬ 
hind some bushes and stretched themselves on the 
ground to wait. They hardly spoke to each other 
while they lay and watched, for such is the w T ay of 
Indians. 

One, two, three hours passed by. Then Kumtux 
rose and said, “ Let us go and look.” 

The hunters found the first trap empty, but when 
they drew near the second they heard a scratching and 
growling. They hurried to the place and found a big, 
black bear caught by his foot. He was trying with all 
his might to tear himself away, but it was in vain. 

Comux did not wait to get close up to the trap. 
Without delay he set an arrow to his bowstring and 
shot it into the bear’s forehead. With a short, sharp 
sigh the creature rolled over on the ground. In a very 
few minutes life had left him. 

“ Um! fat bear! good feast! ” grunted Kumtux. 

“ We shall have something besides fish to eat now,” 
Comux thoughtfully remarked. “ It will be good to 
taste bear’s meat once more. Then, when that is gone, 
we shall still have plenty of dried salmon on hand.” 

“ A hard tug to get back to the shore with our load! 
And such a strong wind in our faces, too. But we can 
do it,” said Kumtux. 

It was hard work, indeed. The two Indians were 


COMTJX , THE NOOTKA HUNTER 


203 


out of breath more than once. The hear was unusually 
heavy, and his sides fairly rolled with fat. The ground 
was rough, and in many places there was a thick under¬ 
growth. But the boat was reached at last. 

Without doubt, a storm was rising. The water was 
flecked with white-caps. Angry-looking, snapping 
waves came racing in upon the shore. 

“ Bad sea! bad sea! 7 ’ muttered Kumtux. “Work 
hard to get home.” 

There was not a moment to lose. After the carcass 
of the bear had been lifted into the boat, the men 
jumped in and settled themselves to their paddling. 

Hard and steadily as they worked, it seemed, more 
than once, that they made no headway. They did not 
speak, but kept their eyes fixed on the distant shore 
they were striving to reach. 

In good weather it seemed such a short distance! 
But now ? with the rain pouring down in sheets, and 
the wind howling and blowing in great gusts, the hun¬ 
ters felt as if they had all they could do to gain their 
island. 

But they showed no fear. They kept on with their 
paddling as calmly as if they were not using all their 
strength and every breath in their bodies. 

It was late in the evening when the two men threw 
their paddles into the canoe and jumped out onto the 


204 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


beacli in front of their house. They were wet to the 
skin and had great blisters on their hands. 

They had fought a battle with Father Ocean and the 
Spirit of the Storm. And they had won! 

ATo one was in sight, but when they reached the vil¬ 
lage they found the men of the place sitting on the roofs 
of the houses to keep them in place. 

“ Yes/’ remarked Kumtux as he noticed them, “ such 
a wind would indeed take off the roofs.” 

“ And maybe it will blow like this all night,” said 
Comux. “ Too bad! Too bad ! ” 

But the wind went down and the rain stopped fal¬ 
ling, early in the night. Then the men came down 
from their unpleasant perches and were ready to joke 
and laugh and plan for the coming bear feast. 

THE BEAR FEAST. 

A bear feast was not common, and everyone dressed 
himself in his best garments. The women braided 
their hair with the greatest care, and put on head¬ 
dresses made of bark fibre and trimmed with shells and 
beads. Whenever they moved, their arms and ankles 
tinkled with the sound of bracelets and anklets. Rinas 

O 

made of bone and shell hung from their noses and ears. 

Comux spent at least two hours getting ready for the 
grand time. lie spread a thick coat of grease over his 


COMUX, TEE NOOTKA RENTER 


205 


head and arms and legs. Then he marked it off with 
queer figures and painted these figures with red paint. 
This was not all. He took shining sand and sprinkled 
it wherever the grease and paint had been laid. By 
this time he thought he was a grand-looking person. 

How for his long, black hair, which usually hung 
down over his shoulders. First, he tied it in a knot on 
the top of his head. Then, plastering it over with 
whale grease, he sprinkled it with a thick coating of 
white feathers. This made him really elegant. 

! While dressing Comux could not help thinking, “ I 
am glad my mother flattened my forehead when I was 
a baby. It is a sign of noble birth. I know that all 
the young maidens admire me, and my young men 
friends cannot help wishing they too were flat-heads.” 

Some of the Nootkas follow this queer custom of 
flattening their children’s heads. When their babies 
are born, the little heads are bound with tight bandages 
in such a way that they do not grow naturally. It 
is a mark of honor among these people to grow up with 
heads flattened so much that they look very different 
from those of other people. 

The time came for the feast and the villagers gath¬ 
ered for a good time. But before the bear was cooked 
there was a queer ceremony. 

The bear was decked with fine down and a bonnet 


206 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


was placed on his head. Then he was carried before 
the chief. The people gathered around with sober 
faces. When the place was very still, the chief in¬ 
vited the bear to eat. 

Poor dead creature! IIow silly all this seems to ns! 
Yet no one in the place would have dared to taste the 
bear’s flesh without first going through that cere¬ 
mony. 

Why was the dead bear dressed up ? And why was 
he asked to eat? We cannot answer those questions. 
Perhaps it was because the Hootkas thought the ani¬ 
mal’s spirit would bother them unless they treated his 
body with the greatest politeness and respect. 

Before the feast began, the partitions which divided 
the different homes in the house w 7 here Comux lived 
were all taken down. Over the floor, mats were spread 
for the guests to sit on. A place of honor was set for 
the chief. 

When the young man’s mother saw the bear, and 
learned that her son had killed it, she said, “ At the 
coming feast we must have something better than water 
to drink.” 

She brought out a basket in which were some odd¬ 
looking cakes filled with berries. When stirred into 
the water they gave it a peculiar taste and made it 
froth and foam. 


COMUX, TTIE NOOTKA HUNTER 


207 


“ My son shall have a rare drink at his feast/’ she 
said, and a smile lighted up her dark face. 

Heralds were sent out to call the guests to the feast. 
The first to come were the more common people. The 
chief and the nobles arrived later, and only after they 
had been sent for many times. 

When each one had eaten all he could of his portion 
of the food, he set the rest of it apart to carry to his 
own home. It would he very impolite to leave the least 
bit behind. 

Mow came speeches and story-telling. Last of all, 
the mats were taken up and the floor was cleared for 

dancing. 

Such dances as they were! Those who took part in 
them had painted their faces black and red. They 
jumped up and down, they waved weapons and bunches 
of feathers. Or again, they bent their bodies in all 
sorts of ways without taking their feet off of the floor. 
Whatever the leaders of the dance did the others fol¬ 
lowed. 

Before the party was over the dancers left the house 
and climbed up on the roof. There they went through 
many queer motions to the sound of the music. 

“ We have had a good time,” Comux told his mother 
when the visitors were all gone, “ a very good time.” 

“ And there are many more to come,” she replied. 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


2 08 

“ This is the best season of the year. Tor two moons 
there is little work to he clone on land or sea. Feast 
after feast will be given by the people of our village.” 

The old woman’s eyes were heavy with sleep, and 
she stretched herself on a couch to rest. Her son fol¬ 
lowed her example and was soon forgetful of feast and 
guests. 

He dreamed he was far out on the ocean with his pet 
seal swimming beside the boat. He held a bunch of 
muscle shells in his hand and as he shook them two 
whales drew near and began to dance upon the waves 
to the music which he made with the shells. 

“ Ugh! I do not like to dream,” the young man said 
when he woke up. “ I hope nothing bad will happen 
to me on my next whale hunt. I must tell my dream 
to my mother and ask her what it means. She is wise 
about such things.” 


WHITE HAWK, 
The Iroquois Hunter 


I T was the beginning of winter. White Hawk sat 
by the doorway of the lodge, making snow-shoes. 
He was getting ready to go out on a long hunt with the 
men of his village. 

He was thinking of many things. Away to the east¬ 
ward white men had settled. They laughed and talked 
much in their queer language. They tried to make 
friends with their red neighbors. They called them¬ 
selves Dutch. 

“ See,” they had said, and held out bright-colored 
beads and blankets. They had made signs that they 
would give these things, and many more, in exchange 
for the furs the red men brought home every year from 
the hunt. 

White Hawk thought the beads and blankets were 
beautiful. He wanted some of them for his own. His 
young wife would use the beads instead of porcupine 

209 



210 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


quills when she embroidered new moccasins for him. 
A bright red blanket across his shoulders would look 
very elegant. The hunter’s heart was filled with long¬ 
ing for the treasures the white men offered. lie de¬ 
termined to do his best this , winter and bring home the 
skins of many animals for the Dutch traders. 

As White Hawk worked he turned his thoughts from 
the white nlen to his own people. They were the great¬ 
est and the strongest of all Indians. In the long ago, 
so the old men said, it was not so. His people lived 
farther north and were in the power of another tribe, 
the Adirondacks. 

The Adirondacks taught them many things. Best 
of all, they showed them good ways of hunting and 
fishing. Up to that time the people of the Iroquois 
had cared little for the hunt. They lived quietly 
among their fields and gardens and seldom fought with 
other tribes. 

After a while all these things changed. The Iroquois 
made themselves free and moved south. Hive tribes 
joined together into one great band. They made laws 
for themselves. They held councils and made plans 
for the good of all the people of the band. It was not 
long before other tribes began to look up to them and 
fear them. Their very name made their enemies flee. 

They still had their gardens and orchards, but they 


WHITE HAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 211 

also took delight in hunting the wild creatures of the 
forest. 

And now the Dutchmen had entered the land. White 
Hawk was not troubled as he thought of this. The 
Indians were many; the Dutchmen and their families 
were few. Then, too, the strangers brought many 
things the Indians wished to buy. Ho, there was 
nothing whatever to fear. 

The snow-shoes were finished by this time, and White 
ITawk held them up to see if they were quite right. 
The frames were of hickory, rounded in front and bent 
to a point at the heel. Inside was a network of deer 
strings. They were strong and neat, and the hunter 
looked at them with pride. 

“ I can go miles over the snow, in a short time, with 
these,” he said. “ I hope to find many a bear ready 
for his winter’s sleep. Many a deer I will overtake as 
he flees before me.” 

He got up and went inside the lodge where his wife 
sat making a basket of corn husks. The bottom of the 
basket was woven in fine checks. The woman had 
made it this way so that she could use it for a sieve. 
She sifted the com meal of which she made the cakes 
her husband liked so well. 

She was a very busy woman. She not only made 
baskets of various patterns and different shapes, but 


212 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


she dressed the skins her husband brought home from 
the hunt, she planted the garden and gathered the har¬ 
vest, she embroidered beautiful garments for her hus¬ 
band and herself, and she kept the lodge neat and 
orderly. 

White Hawk’s home was different from that of most 
other red men. It was a long building made of bark. 
It was divided up so that many families lived in it to¬ 
gether. Other Indians often called the Iroquois, “ The 
People of the Long House.” There were several fire¬ 
places. Two families used opposite sides of the same 
one. Thus the house of five fireplaces was the home 
of ten families. 

When White Hawk entered the house, his wife laid 
down the basket she was making and put new wood on 
the fire. Her husband would want supper. Corn 
cakes were set in the fireplace to bake, and a piece of 
moose flesh was hung over the flames to roast. These 
were soon cooked and spread before her husband. A 
salt bottle made of finely-woven corn husks was also 
set before him. 

She waited quietly while he ate. Then, when he had 
done, it was her turn. 

As soon as he had eaten his supper, White Hawk left 
the lodge to seek the other men of the village. He 
must talk with them about the coming hunt. 


WHITE HAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 213 


“ Let us first seek the animals in the woods near by,” 
said an old hunter. “ Then, when there are no more 
to be found, we will travel on farther.” 

“I saw the marks of hears not five miles awa, 
said another. “ It was yesterday, hut I was alone, so 
I waited for others to go with me.” 

“ In what direction did you travel?” asked White 
Hawk. 

The man pointed to the north. 

“ Let us go that way to-morrow,” said the first 
speaker. All were agreed. 

Early the next morning, about a dozen men on snow- 
shoes went skimming over the crusty snow to the north¬ 
ward. They carried hows and arrows and small bags 
of pounded corn. They would be away from home only 
a day or two. 

Part of their way led along the shores of a lake, part 
of it lay through snow covered fields, the rest stretched 
through forests of pine and spruce. 

White Hawk’s cheeks glowed as he hastened on 
through the clear frosty air. He felt strong and happy. 
He thought : 

“ I hope the Great Father will send plenty of game 
to his red children this winter.” 

The party had traveled at least twenty miles before 
they stopped to rest. They were now near the place 


>214 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


where they hoped to find traces of hears. They began 
to look carefully around. Some of the bears were per¬ 
haps curled up in sheltered nooks for a winter’s sleep. 
Others might still be abroad; if so, their footprints 
would be seen on the snow. 

They had traveled another twenty miles, however, 
before the looked-for signs appeared. It was late after¬ 
noon, too late to begin the hunt. The sun was already 
seeking his rest in the heavens. 

The men gathered wood and made a fire behind a 
large rock. Then, after a supper of pounded corn and 
a draught of cold water from a neighboring spring, they 
stretched themselves under the stars to rest. 

With the first gleam of daylight the hunters were 
up and stirring. They began to follow the tracks they 
had discovered the night before. But they did not 
walk abreast after the manner of white men. They 
moved single file, one behind the other; “ Indian file,” 
we call it. They did not talk, but with sober, earnest 
faces they scanned the snow in every direction. 

Now it seemed as though the bear had stopped and 
switched off from the main track, which still continued 
through the snow. Again, they saw traces of two bears 
instead of only one. 

Every tree was examined, every rock searched. 
Suddenly White Hawk, who was ahead, made a sign 


WHITE HAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 215 


to the others and began to run; slowly at first, and then 
with all his might. He had caught sight of a bear. 
On came the others with long strides, but without noise. 

They were almost upon their game before he turned 
and discovered that he was followed. At that very 
moment another bear was seen, to the right of the first 
one. 

The Indians, at a sign from their leader, instantly 
divided into two parties. Half of them followed the 
first bear they had seen. The others chased the second 
one. 

At last the big, heavy animals began to pant and 
stretch out their tongues. They would soon have to 
turn and make a stand against the enemy. They could 
not flee much longer. 

White Hawk was among those who followed the first 
bear. When the animal showed signs of giving up he 
did not relax his own speed in the least. Neither did 
the other hunters. In a few minutes they were close 
upon him. When he saw this he drew himself up, 
ready to strike a blow with his heavy paws if they 
should come near enough. 

But they had no such thought. They had something 
better to do than engage in a hand to hand fight with a 
bear. Every bow was set, and at a sign from their 
leader the arrows were discharged. 


216 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


. ^ 

Two struck against the heavy coat of fur that cov¬ 
ered the bear’s back; a third entered one of his fore¬ 
paws which he held up with a piteous moan when it 
was struck. A fourth arrow lodged in his body. The 
poor creature was not dangerously wounded yet. 

He was weak and suffering, and his heavy eyes 
looked angrily at the enemies before him. They were 
already setting their bows. He made a mighty plunge 
forward upon White Hawk, who had come nearest to 
him and was not expecting the attack. 

The young Indian tried to spring aside, but it was 
too late. The bear fell upon him, knocking him down 
under his great weight. The other hunters rushed to 
the rescue, first discharging their arrows. Then with 
their clubs they rushed upon the animal and dragged 
their friend out from under him. 

The second flight of arrows had done its work, and 
the bear was already breathing his last. 

White Hawk was unharmed. He picked himself up 
and began to help the others prepare to carry their 
game home. All set to work to cut strips of oak bark 
from the trees. Of these they made a rough sledge 
on which to lay their burden. 

As they lifted the bear to put it on the sledge they 
found they had gained a prize. 

“ It is loaded with fat,” White Hawk declared. 


WHITE HAWK , THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 217 


u The fur is thick and heavy/’ added another of the 
hunters. 

“ The Dutch traders will be glad to buy the pelt/’ 
said a third. 

By this time they were ready to start for home. But 
they did not wish to go without their friends who had 
followed the second bear. 

“ I will tell you what to do/’ said White TIawk. 
“ Let us go to the place where we parted from them. 
Then, if they are not already there or we do not hear 
them, let us wait.” 

“ That is wise,” said the leader. 

They were soon on their way. They had followed 
the bear on a zigzag course; now they traveled in a 
straight line. The loaded sledge moved easily over the 
snow crust and when they reached the parting of the 
ways they were surprised to find how quickly they had 
come. 

The other hunters were already there. They, too, 
had been successful. They had tired out their game 
and then attacked him. Lie had made a good fight. 

“ He was hard to kill,” said an old hunter. “Hever 
have I seen a bear die harder. He was a good fighter 
and did not have as much fat to weaken him as this 
fellow.” 

He pointed to the other bear lying on the bark 


218 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


sledge. Then he stretched his hand to a little knoll 
not twenty feet away. 

“ We chased our game till we had almost rounded a 
circle/’ he continued. “ Yonder is where we cornered 
him at last. The work was finished only a few minutes 
before you got here.” 

All set to work to make a second sledge. The first 
one was not strong enough to carry the two hears. 
Then the Indian hunters returned to their village with 
pride in their hearts. Long before they reached it the 
dark night had set in. Away in the distance a long, 
low moan broke on the still air. 

“ We must hurry,” said the leader. “ The wolves 
are abroad. They scent us.” 

Still faster the snow-shoes skimmed the ground, and 
the sledges followed close behind. Faster, still faster! 
The long low moan had now changed into a sharp, ugly 
howl. The wolves were gaining ground. 

Faster, still faster, and now the village could be 
faintly seen by the light of the rising moon. The pack 
of wolves would also have been seen quite plainly, if 
the men had turned to look behind them. But no time 
was lost in this way. 

With their utmost speed they flew over the last 
stretch and safely entered the village with their precious 
loads. 


WHITE IIAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 219 


That night there was feasting and dancing among 
the people. The pipe was smoked by the hunters in 
thanksgiving to the Great Spirit who loved the red men 
and brought the game into their hands. 

AFTER THE WISE BEAVER. 

“ White Hawk, it is two days since we brought home 
the bear. The long hunt does not begin till next week. 
What say you ? Shall we seek the beaver to-morrow ? 
]STot ten miles away the busy creatures have dammed 
the stream. Their home is a large one and many work¬ 
ers must be there.” 

White Hawk’s eyes lighted up. A hunt of any kind 
was his greatest delight. He had heard, too, that the 
Dutch traders were eager to buy the rich, warm fur of 
the beavers. Of course he would go! 

How the beavers usually choose the night, when the 
air is still and quiet, to do their work. In the day¬ 
time they stay at home. By daylight was the best 
time, therefore, to attack them. 

Early the next morning three hunters went out of 
the village and made their way to a large stream at a 
few miles distance. 

“ The water is frozen over but the crust is still thin,” 
remarked one of the men. “ The beavers can easily 
escape under the ice unless we are very careful.” 


220 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


The others well knew this. More than once in their 
lives they had taken a beaver village by surprise only 
to have the cunning animals get away before they could 
be caught. «£ 

When they reached the stream, they found that their 
friend who had proposed the hunt had spoken truly. 
The beavers had built a dam clear across it. It was 
at least three feet high. 

When White Hawk was a boy he had once watched 
these busy little creatures at their work. It was moon¬ 
light and he was hiding in the branches of a tall tree at 
the water’s edge. This time he was not hunting, but 
only trying to see how the dam was built. 

The beavers dug up soft mud on the shore; then, 
holding it against their breasts with their fore legs, 
they swam to the place where it was needed. They 
dropped it carefully into the right place and patted it 
down with their feet. But the mud alone would soon 
be washed away by the motion of the water. Some¬ 
thing must be done to keep it in place. The beavers 
knew how to fix it. 

They swam to the shore, with the help of their flat 
tails, and loaded themselves with long sticks from which 
they had eaten the bark. They were soon back at the 
dam with their loads. They set the sticks across the 
wall, fixing them in place with more mud. They 


WHITE HAWK , THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 221 


worked steadily, hour after hour, and it was wonderful 
how much they did in one short night. 

White Hawk thought of that night while he stood 
looking at the dam ? but he did not speak of it now. It 
was no time for Indians to talk. He pointed to a 
large poplar tree which lay on the ground near the 
shore. If he was not mistaken, beavers had gnawed 
down that tree to get at the bark, which was their prin¬ 
cipal food. 

Bit by bit they had cut out chips with their sharp 
teeth, always working in a ring around the trunk. 

Farther and farther into the tree they gnawed, till 
at last only the heart was left. The tree began to 
totter. Then it fell to the ground, and a store of food 
lay ready for the wise beavers to eat at their leisure. 

As the men looked at it, they noticed that less than 
half the bark had been stripped from the tree. The 
beavers still had plenty of food at hand. 

“ See! ” said one of the men. “ Will the ice bear 
us up ? ” 

White Hawk scowled. He was afaid they could not 
reach the beavers’ home without breaking through the 
ice. It stood in the middle of the pond made by dam¬ 
ming the stream. The houses w r ere very neatly built 
of mud and sticks. The sticks had been cut of nearly 
equal length and they were plastered together with the 


222 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


mud. The tops of the houses were above the water, 
but the entrance was below the surface, so that if the 
beavers were attacked they could escape by swimming 
to the shore without even being seen. 

“ We will try the ice,” said one, “ but we must move 
with care.” 

When a house had been selected for attack, the en¬ 
trance had to be found. Then one man must break in 
the house, while the others stood ready to strike the fly¬ 
ing beavers with their clubs. 

One at a time, they stepped out on the icy crust and 
made their way to the houses. Not a word was spoken, 
not a sound was made till the sign was given for the at¬ 
tack to begin. Inside the house six happy and con¬ 
tented beavers were soundly sleeping. They had no 
idea of the coming danger. 

Then there came a sudden crash. They sprang up 
in fright and rushed to the entrance. Alas! they were 
met by heavy clubs swung by merciless red men. 

Two, only, out of the six, managed to escape the blows 
of the hunters. They, too, would have been killed if 
one of the men had not fallen through the ice into the 
water, and lost hold of his club at the same time. The 
others were wet to their waists before the work was 
done. 

Not till they were safe back on the shore did they 



WHITE HAWK HUNTING THE BEAVER 















































WHITE HAWK , THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 223 


stop to examine the fur of the four beavers they had 
taken. It was thick and glossy. 

“ I never saw any that was more beautiful,” White 
Hawk said to his friends. He was younger than they, 
but he had hunted beavers ever since he was a little boy, 
and he was a good judge. 

“ The white men will pay well for these,” said one 
of the men. “ We must come again for the beavers 
when the ice is firmer.” 

“ Yes, after we get hack from our long hunt, we must 
search the streams and ponds in all the country round. 
Then, too, we will look for martens.” 

“ The Dutchmen are anxious for those furs. If we 
do well, we shall he rich in blankets when the spring 
opens,” said a third Indian. “ Our women will have 
more heads to work with than they can use in twelve 
moons.” 


DEER TRAPPING. 

The next week soon came. In the meantime the 
women of the village were busy getting their husbands 
and sons ready for the long hunting-trip of the year. 

Pounded corn was packed in small bags; the clothing 
was looked over; fur robes were set aside to be carried 
on the hunt, for the men would need them on the long, 
cold nights away from home. 


224 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


The hunters examined their weapons and sharpened 
their stone knives. Their bows must be strung and 
they must carry a good supply of flint-headed arrows. 

It was a bright, cold morning in December when 
White Hawk looked at his black-eyed baby for the last 
time in several weeks. His handsome young wife stood 
in the doorway of the bark house and watched her hus¬ 
band and his friends move away along the path worn 
by the feet of the red men for hundreds of years. 

Over glades and through forests, across frozen ponds 
and streams, went the Indians. Three suns had gone 
down before they reached the grounds for which they 
had set out. 

A deep, dark forest stretched before them. It was 
the home of deer and moose and elk. Here, too, bears 
were to be found, and smaller animals, such as the 
marten and the lynx. 

When tired of this larger game, the Indians could 
seek the open spaces and set nets for the flying crea¬ 
tures. Every day would be filled with hunting, the 
sport they loved best in all the world. 

“ We must get ready to set our deer traps,” said the 
leader of the party. “ But first let us seek for signs 
of the animals.” 

The next day after reaching the hunting grounds, 
White Hawk discovered a path to a small stream. It 


WHITE HAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 225 


had been worn by the feet of deer. Before nightfall, 
be and bis friends bad fastened traps to several young 
trees along the line of the path. The weight of the 
trap made the tree bend over to the ground. 

Alas for the foolish deer who should meddle with 
that trap! As it sprang baek it would fasten a loop 
around the animal’s bind legs, the tree would rise and 
the deer rise with it. lie could not escape. 

“ We will rest and watch,” said the leader of the 
party. “ After a day or two of this sport, we will 
seek the deer in herds and trap them in large numbers.” 

The others were satisfied with this plan. They had 
traveled nearly a hundred miles to reach these hunting 
grounds. It was well to begin with easy work. 

The next morning after White Hawk had set his 
traps, lie went to examine them. Two out of three had 
been snapped. The game had managed to escape from 
the first one, but a large and beautiful deer was caught 
in the second. Poor creature! It was still alive and 
looked down at the hunter with big, pitiful eyes. But 
White Hawk showed no mercy. 

During the next four days, twenty deer were caught 
by the hunters. More time was spent in taking off the 
skins, cutting up the choice pieces of venison, drying 
them before the fire, and packing them away in small 
barrels made of bark. The work was scarcely finished 


226 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


when another party of hunters from White Hawk’s own 
village joined them. 

“ How we can trap a whole herd of deer at once,” 
thought the young Indian, and he greeted the men with 

joy- 

A roaring fire was made and some of the fresh veni¬ 
son v T as cooked. White Hawk had snared some part¬ 
ridges that very morning and another of the men had 
shot some wild ducks; these too were roasted. 

In a few minutes a feast was spread, out there in the 
wild woods, that a white man would have enjoyed as 
much as did these tired and hungry Indians. When 
the last morsel was eaten ; the men stretched themselves 
around the fire and were soon soundly sleeping. 

Before daylight, White Hawk and his friends were 
already preparing for the great deer hunt. They went 
about gathering brush for a fence. Its sides must be 
at least a mile long. When it was finished it would 
look like the letter V. 

“ After our work is done,” said the leader, “ we will 
spread out through the country around and set fire to 
the woods. Then we can drive the frightened deer 
from all sides into the opening. Some of us will be 
hidden at the farther point. As the others force the 
deer farther and farther inside, w T e will shoot them 
down with our arrows.” 


WHITE HAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 227 


The rest of the hunters nodded their heads, and 
smiled as they thought of the sport before them. That 
was the quickest way to get all the deer they needed 
for the rest of the winter. 

After the fence was finished, White Hawk and six 
other men took their places behind the point of the V. 
The others moved here and there, lighting fires and 
driving the frightened deer before them. 

“ There are at least a hundred in the trap,” said 
White TIawk, as he stood watching and saw the deer 
tumbling over each other in their fright, yet steadily 
coming towards him. He looked at his bow and then 
at the quiver full of arrows. 

Ten minutes more of waiting, then the shooting be¬ 
gan. Thick and fast flew the arrows. It seemed as 
though not a single one failed in its deadly work, for 
over there, on the other side of the brush fence, the 
ground was soon covered with dead and wounded deer. 

Still others pressed on, and others behind them. 
Back of all were the red men, who were driving these 
animals on towards sure and certain death. 

In a couple of hours the work was over, and White 
Hawk, springing over the fence, went about with his 
friends to count the game. One hundred and twenty 
deer were beyond escape. 

The next few days were busy ones, for the skins must 


228 TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 

be prepared and the venison cut, dried, and packed 
away. 

“ Enough deer,” declared one of the older men. 
“ Seldom have I seen a better hunt.” 

“ Now for the furs the white men like to buy,” said 
White Hawk. “ We must seek the silver fox, the mar¬ 
ten and the lynx. When I have a pack of their beau¬ 
tiful skins I shall be ready to go home. Not till then, 
however! ” 

Three more weeks passed by. They were weeks of 
hard work but they were tilled with joy for the red 
men. Many traps were set, many nets were laid, many 
arrows were sent flying through the air. And many a 
wild creature of the forest fell a prey to the watchful 
hunters. 

u It is of no use to do more,” they said at last. “ We 
cannot possibly carry another skin home. Our backs 
will be loaded down now.” 

They divided the skins and bark barrels of venison 
so that each man should carry his proper share. Then, 
with a last look at the rich hunting ground, they started 
for home. 

When White Hawk showed his young wife what he 
had gained, she felt proud of her husband. He had 
done nobly. Now he should rest to his heart’s content. 

The yearly festival of his people was close at hand. 


WHITE HAWK, THE IROQUOIS HUNTER 229 


The village would be filled with merry makers. White 
Hawk and his squaw would put on their richest gar¬ 
ments and take part in the feasts and dances. 

It was the good time of the year. 




SPOTTED DEER, 

The Blackfoot Hunter 


I T was in the long ago. 

An old man, bent and withered, sat by the crack¬ 
ling fire in the lodge. Once he had been a great hunter 
and warrior. Indians of hostile tribes held him in fear. 
Wild beasts of plain and forest had learned to flee be¬ 
fore him. 

How, alas! the bow shook in his hand, and he stayed 
at home with the women and children when the other 
men went on the war-path or hunting trips. 

“ Tell us stories of the days when you were young,” 
begged two bright-looking lads of eight and ten years. 
“ Tell us of the life in yonder mountains, where you 
met the fierce grizzly and cougar. Tell us of your buf¬ 
falo and antelope hunts.” 

The old man looked from one to the other of the boys. 
Some time, he hoped, they would be brave warriors and 

231 



232 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


able to count their “ coups.” They would take their 

turn at keeping the camp supplied with food. 

* 

He shivered, for it was a bitterly cold night and the 
wind blew in great gusts around the lodge. The snow¬ 
flakes came dancing down through the opening above 
the fireplace. The storm was fierce indeed. 

One of the boys noticed that the old man shivered, 
lie threw more wood on the fire arid the flames leaped 
up toward the roof. 

In the next lodge one could hear the sounds of 
mvteic and dancing. Everyone else in the family, ex¬ 
cept the old man and his grandsons, had gone to the 
party. 

“ Once I was a little boy like you two,” said the old 
man, speaking at last. “ My playmates and myself had 
mock battles, just as you have. We delighted in mak¬ 
ing mud images of antelopes, bears, and coyotes, and 
then shooting at them with our little bows and arrows. 
Sometimes these images were very good. They looked 
like real animals. 

“ In winter we spun our tops wherever we could find 
a smooth sheet of ice. We went coasting on sleds made 
from the ribs of the buffalo. 

“ These are the same sports that you have to-day.” 

The boys nodded their heads. 

“ J remember,” the old man went on, “ when I shot 



SPOTTED DEER, THE BLACKFOOT TELLING THE STORY OF HIS FIRST 

RABBIT HUNT 






















































































SPOTTED DEER , THE BLACKFOOT 233 


my first rabbit. My father had made me a tiny bow 
and arrows and showed me how to use them. I was 
not more than four years old. He took me out into the 
woods on the edge of the prairie. He showed me the 
tracks of rabbits and led me to one of their burrows. 
Then he said: 

“ ( Use your eyes well. Hush! Move softly. Carry 
your bow ready. When you see a rabbit running across 
the path, do not be in too great a hurry. Aim carefully 
and shoot without fear. Then you will soon become a 
good hunter.’ 

“ I tried to do as he told me, but I was excited. I 
let the first rabbit go, and the second, and third. But 
my father was patient, and before the afternoon ended 
I had brought down my first game. I took it home to 
show to my mother. You may be sure I was a proud 
little boy. 

“ She tried not to show her pride, but, small as I was, 
I saw it in her eyes. Then I was still prouder. 

“ After that my father took me with him oftener and 
oftener when he went away on short hunting trips. I 
practiced every day with my bow, and each time it 
seemed as though my aim became better and my arm 
stronger. 

“ I shot the squirrels as they ran to hide in their 
homes in the trees. I brought down the partridge and 


234 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


goose when they were on the wing. I was at my father’s 
side when he killed the deer, and sometimes my own 
arrows helped in bringing them to the ground. 

“ How well I remember my first buffalo hunt! I had 
followed the hunters many times, with other boys and 
the women who helped in the after work. But I had 
never really taken part before. 

u I was now ten years old. We had just moved our 
camp into a rich buffalo country. Beyond us was the 
heavy trail worn into the prairie by the animals as they 
traveled from one feeding ground to another. 

“ And there, almost in sight of the lodge, was an im¬ 
mense herd of buffaloes. The plain was fairly black 
with them. 

“ At night my father came into the lodge, saying, 
‘ To-morrow we will build a piskun and make ready for 
the hunt.’ Then, turning to me, he said I should be 
one of the helpers. 

“ I was tall and strong for my age, and I felt sure I 
could do J&y pari 

“ Early the next morning we set to work making a 
large pen of logs, set upright in the ground and higher 
than the tallest man. At one end of the pen the logs 
were much shorter, and from this point a long bridge 
was built sloping gently down to the ground outside. A 
railing of logs was built on each side of the bridge. 


SPOTTED DEEP, TEE BLACKFOOT 235 


Wings of brushwood were made leading up to the sides 
of the bridge. This was the shape:” 

The old man marked a letter V on the floor of the 
lodge. 

“ The point ended at the bridge,” he continued. 
“ Now how were we to drive the buffalo into the wings ? 
There were many ways. Sometimes only one man, who 
had been chosen for this purpose, did the work. ITe 
went in front of the herd and attracted their attention. 
They began to run towards him. As they did so, he 
hurried ahead of them, always leading the way to the 
wings of the piskun. When they were once within the 
wings, the people gathered on both sides and frightened 
them so they ran headlong up the bridge and down into 
the pen. 

“ Sometimes, again, the whole party of hunters did 
the work of one man. This was the way at such a 
time: when the buffaloes had once begun to enter the 
wings, we gathered on either side, shouting and waving 
our robes. On they pressed, one after another, pushing 
wildly. Stupid things they were! They might have 
rushed upon us and killed us all if they had had any 
sense. 

“ They crowded madly up the bridge. There was 
such a pressure on the leading ones that these jumped 
down into the pen. The others followed blindly. 


236 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


There they were at our mercy. Many of them had 
broken their legs in the fall. Others had injured their 
backs. 

“ It was hard to be calm at such a moment, but I 
tried to act like a man. I followed the example of the 
other hunters. 

“ In another moment the air was thick with our ar¬ 
rows, as they went flying among the frightened, excited 
animals. You know that a buffalo’s hide is thick and 
he is not hurt much by an arrow unless it enters a tender 
part of his body. But there were many of us hunters 
and we were close to our prey. One after another fell 
lifeless to the ground. 

“ In another hour we called to the women to come 
and do their share of the work. The skins must be 
taken off and the flesh cut up. All parts of the animals 
could be put to some use. 

“ My mother was very busy for a long time after that. 
She made a new lodge of the buffalo skins from my 
first hunt. It was large and roomy, too,— much larger 
than this.” 

The old man looked around him as he spoke. He 
shook his head. 

“ Buffalo are getting scarcer every day,” he went on. 
“ It is the coming of the white men that has done it. 
They gave rifles to us Indians, to take the place of our 


SPOTTED DEER, THE BLACK FOOT 337 


bows and arrows. That was good, for rifles are better 
for killing. 

“ But/’ lie sighed as he spoke, “ they have made the 
buffalo scarce, and it is hard work for the poor Indian 
to get enough to eat now. The white men should have 
stayed away and we would still be happy.” 

“ Grandfather, there are many bones of the buffalo 
lying near our lodge. They look very old. They must 
have belonged to animals killed in the long ago.” 

It was the younger boy who spoke. 

“ ~No doubt, my child. Those bones might tell the 
story of a great hunt. Who knows ? We can only guess 
what may have been. 

“ But I was speaking of the beautiful new lodge 
made by my mother. It was double, of course, but the 
skins were remarkably heavy and the cold of winter 
could not make its way through them. 

“ The outer skins of the lodge were painted with 
many pictures. They were also ornamented with the 
tails of the buffaloes. Two of these tails belonged to 
animals that I killed myself. 

“ We were all proud of our new home. It was both 
beautiful and comfortable.” 

“ I should like to see such a herd of buffalo on our 
prairie now,” said the older boy. “ But tell us, grand¬ 
father, was there no other way of hunting before we 


238 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


had horses and the white men sold rifles to the In¬ 
dians ? ” 

“ Yes, my child, many ways. Sometimes we would 
dress ourselves in wolf skins and creep up near the herd. 
The buffaloes would form a ring, with the cows and 
calves on the inside and the bulls facing out. Then 
we would shoot many before they saw the cheat and fled 
in fright. 

“ But our arrows had only stone heads in those days. 
They often failed to enter the tough hides far enough 
to kill. 

“ Besides, we ourselves were in great danger. Sup¬ 
pose a bull suddenly turned in fury upon us. One 
blow from his hoofs could have killed a man. Or he 
could easily pick a man up on his strong horns.” 

“ Grandfather,” asked one of the children, “ did you 
ever get hurt by a buffalo ? ” 

“ Once, my child. I was no more than fourteen 
years old at the time. I was out hunting with my 
father. I was knocked down by an angry hull. He 
was not satisfied with that, but lowered his head to toss 
me on his horns. 

“ My father came to my aid just in time. He drew 
the animal’s anger upon himself. Then, fortunately 
for both of us, he sent an arrow into a vital spot.” 

“ I wish I had lived in those days,” said the older 


SPOTTED DEER, THE BLACKFOOT 


239 


boy, musingly. “ I love my bow and arrows better than 
the rifle my father gave me. Ugh! It seems to smell 
of the white men. 7 ’ 


THE ELK HUNT. 

It was now the bright summer time. Spotted Deer 
lay stretched on the ground under the twinkling stars. 

He was thinking of the old days when he was young 
and active. Hot far away the people were gathered in 
groups. Some were telling stories, others were silently 
listening. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the old 
warrior. 

In a little while two boys came running up to his 
side. They were his grandsons. Other children fol¬ 
lowed, and he was soon the center of a group of happy 
little ones. 

“ A story, grandfather ,’ 7 begged one of the first com¬ 
ers. “ A story of the days before the white men . 77 

“ Yes, a story , 77 echoed around the circle. 

“ Tell us of the wild animals that are now so scarce, 
grandfather, but in the long ago were so plentiful . 77 

The white-haired man was pleased. The old days 
were dear to him. lie liked to tell the children about 
them and watch their eyes open wide as he described 
the former riches of his people. 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 



“ The elk are the noblest of all the deer kind/’ he 
began. “ Once they came down from the mountains 
and wandered freely over our plains. They were seen 
in herds, even like the buffalo. 

“ They had other enemies besides the red man. The 
grizzly sometimes followed them. Little could their 
horns and hoofs protect them when those fierce bears 
fell upon them. But their leaders were ever on the 
lookout, and if they only saw a grizzly drawing near 
they could flee like the wind and save themselves. 

“ Another enemy was the cougar. The sly creature 
would creep upon his prey and take him when he was 
off his guard. His sharp claws would fasten in the 
throat of the elk, and the sharp teeth would bite so 
deep as to end the life in a moment. 

“ Even the wolves would follow the elks. Several of 
them working together made an enemy too powerful to 
resist. 

“ Rerirember this, children,— the elks have bright 
eyes and quick ears. They are far different creatures 
to hunt from the slow, stupid buffalo. Yet they are 
not so timid and ready to flee as the deer. They follow 
their leaders closely. 

I “ Once a young friend and myself were hunting upon 
j the plains. We caught sight of a herd of elks feeding. 
We moved slowly towards them, for we did not wish to 


SPOTTED DEER, TEE BLACKFOOT 241 


have them take fright. We knew they must soon see 
us, for the prairie was open and there was no brush be¬ 
hind which we could hide. 

“ Soon one of the leaders looked up. He stopped 
feeding for a moment. He was making up his mind 
whether or not we meant danger. He must have 
thought, ‘ There is no harm/ for he soon began to crop 
the grass once more. But he kept his head pointed 
towards us all the time. He was watching to see if we 
made any unusual movement. 

“ Foolish fellow! He would lose his life by waiting. 
Five minutes more brought us near enough to shoot. 
Together we sent our arrows flying. The elk sprang 
into the air and fell to the ground. 

“ At this the rest of the herd huddled together in a 
frightened mass. Their leader had fallen. What 
should they do? We, their enemy as they knew now, 
were almost upon them by this time. 

“ One of them, bolder than the rest, now stepped out. 
We shot again. He, too, fell. And still those stupid 
animals, silly with fear, huddled closer together and 
made no effort to flee. 

u We looked at each other and smiled. This hunting 
was almost too easy. We kept on in this way, singling 
out the leaders, till six of the herd lay upon the ground. 

“ At last the others were aroused. Bounding along 


242 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


on their slim, graceful legs, they made towards the hilly 
woodland in the distance. The hunt was ended. 

“ Children, did you ever hear an elk call to his mate ? 
It is a beautiful sound, as sweet as music.” 

The hoys shook their heads. 

“ I was walking out alone on the prairie one sum¬ 
mer evening. It was moonlight. I was busy thinking 
of the coming war party which I was about to join. It 
was to be my first one and my mind was full of the 
many things that might happen. 

“ I wandered on and on before I noticed where I 
was going. I was on the edge of the woodland. 

“ Suddenly I was startled by a sound ringing out 
on the air. It was sweet and clear and full, like noth¬ 
ing I had ever heard before. 

“ I raised my eyes to the sky. I thought, ‘ This is 
no sound of the earth. It belongs to the world above 
us. It is a message to me, a new warrior.’ 

“ The sound stopped and there was a rustling near 
by. Then an elk leaped out from the thicket and shot 
past me. It seemed the most beautiful one I had ever 
beheld. It was his cry that I had heard. No other 
four-footed creature has one to match it.” 

“ We will ask our father to take us to the forest on 
the mountain side,” said one of the boys. “ Grand¬ 
father, you make me long to hear the voice of the elk.” 


SPOTTED DEEP, THE BLACKFOOT 243 


“ And I want to go there/’ cried another boy, “ be¬ 
cause it is the home of the grizzly and I would like to 
see one of those powerful bears.” 

The old man shook his head. 

“ Better not, my child,” he said slowly. “ The brav¬ 
est Indian does not seek that monster among animals. 
Such a meeting means great danger and little is gained. 

“ The danger is less now than in the old days. The 
great bear does not love the white man’s rifle. lie keeps 
out of its way if possible. But in the long ago the 
bear cared little for the Indian’s arrow. If he w T as 
startled he would turn to fight, and a battle with him 
was a fight with a giant. One blow of his huge paw, 
one bite of his strong teeth, one clutch of those power¬ 
ful arms and long, sharp claws, was enough to end any 
man’s life.” 

The children shuddered. 

It seemed as though Spotted Deer had, by his words 
and gestures, brought them face to face with a grizzly 
right there in the camp that moonlight night. 

“ Sh! Do you hear the cry of the coyotes ? They 
are abroad this evening. Perhaps they have scented 
the game the men brought home from the hunt to-day.” 

Yes, the children heard. They drew closer together. 
They had no love for the sly, sneaking prairie wolf. 
Many a time they had seen a pack of coyotes not far 


244 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


away from the camp. Their fathers had tang’ht them 
that they should have no fear of the creatures. If they 
were only brave themselves they could easily put the 
coward coyotes to flight at any time. Nevertheless they 
had shuddered and drawn closer together at the 
sound. 

Old Spotted Deer noticed what the children did. He 
scowled as he went on. 

“ Iiememher that you are the children of the red 
men/’ he said. “ Why do you shudder ? Why do you 
draw close together ? I spoke of the wolves to see how 
brave you were. You do little credit to your training. 
If you fear the wolves, how would you act if a grizzly 
should appear ? 

“ When I told you I did not seek the grizzly in my 
young days, I did not mean to say that we were afraid 
of him when we happened to meet him. If we came 
across that terrible giant hear by accident, we tried to 
act like brave men, but we did not intentionally seek 
him. There is a great difference between bravery and 
rashness. You must not forget that our weapons were 
poor in those days. 

“ I once killed one of those bears. I was alone at 
the time. Do you think I could have done it if I had 
drawn hack at the howl of a coyote and shuddered at 
the thought of danger ? ” 


SPOTTED DEER, THE BLACKFOOT 


245 


The children looked up at the grim old hunter with 
shamed faces. They would always remember what 
Spotted Deer had said to them. 

“ This was the way of it,” the old man continued, 
after a few moments of silence. 

“ I had gone up into the woodlands for mountain 
sheep. The elks were scarce and we were tired of buf¬ 
falo meat. I tramped about for some time and saw no 
game. There were no signs either of antelopes or moun¬ 
tain sheep. 

“ ( The hunt will he long to-day,’ I said to myself. 

“ Just then I saw footprints in the pine needles that 
covered the ground. I knew at once what they meant. 
They were made by no other than a grizzly bear and a 
large one at that. They were fresh ones, too. 

“ I looked more closely about me. The hark of a 
tree not far away bore a mark I also knew. One of the 
big fellows had been scratching his back against it, with¬ 
out doubt. 

“ ‘ Ugh! better move away,’ I said to myself. ‘ It is 
not a good neighborhood for a lone Indian.’ 

“ I w T as about to turn when a sight met my eyes that 
would have made me shiver if I had been like you boys. 

“ At a distance of only a few steps, was a huge, griz¬ 
zly bear, pawing away the earth. Beside him lay the 
body of an elk he had killed. lie had probably been 


246 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


feasting on other prey, and now was about to bury the 
elk that he might have it for some future meal. 

“ How he knew I was there I could not tell. My 
moccasins had been treading so softly that no sound, 
even of a moving twig, broke on the still air of the 
forest. 

“ His keen scent must have discovered me. At any 
rate his work stopped and he rose on his hind legs. It 
was as if a giant had suddenly appeared to destroy me. 

“ I thought of all the stories I had ever heard of his 
kind: of the man who had gone out from our camp 
one morning, never to return. The blow from a griz¬ 
zly’s paw had taken his life and he must have gone 
speedily to the Happy Hunting Grounds of our people 
where plenty is always found.” 

The old man sighed. lie was thinking, no doubt, 
of the herds of elk and buffalo that were fast disappear¬ 
ing from the country since the coming of the white 
men. He went on speaking. 

“ This, and many more things, flashed through my 
mind as quickly as yonder star twinkles in the heavens. 
Should my arrow fail, I, too, would hasten to the Happy 
Hunting Grounds of the red man. 

“ There was but one place for which to aim, straight 
for one of his eyes. His mouth was open, showing the 
great fangs that had devoured so many creatures weaker 


SPOTTED DEEP, TI1E BLACKFOOT 247 


than himself. His black eyes sparkled with anger at 
this sudden disturbance. His fore-paws were ready to 
give me the death blow. 

“ That moment my arrow flew from my bow. Be¬ 
hind it I put all the strength of my body, and I was 
strong in those days. It entered the left eye of the 
brute and pierced his brain. 

“ The strength of life of the huge bear is very great. 
Although I had given him his death blow, I should still 
have been killed had I not quickly jumped to one side. 
With a terrific roar he lunged at me, striking with both 
paws. 

“ But that effort was his last. The teeth snapped 
together, the eyes suddenly became dull, the outstretched 
paws dropped. He reeled and fell over on the elk he 
himself had killed such a short time before. 

“ I had had the narrowest escape of my life.” 

As Spotted Deer ended the story, the boys around 
him drew a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, every one of 
those little red children felt a great longing to be a man 
as soon as possible. They, too, would go out to hunt 
and fight as Spotted Deer had done. Many a time their 
fathers had said: 

“ Look at Spotted Deer. He is an old man now, but 
his days have been full of brave deeds. See if you can 
learn of him, and copy him in all ways that you can.” 


248 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


PEAIEIE DOGS. 

If Spotted Deer’s young grandson had been a white 
hoy, he might have cried out when he was thrown vio¬ 
lently over his pony’s head and sprained his ankle as 
he fell to the ground. 

But he was the son of an Indian chief. So he made 
no sound, but lay quite helpless on the ground where 
he had fallen. 

When the pony had recovered from his own fright 
and came cantering back, the boy managed to get up on 
the animal and rode home to the camp. 

This was the way it happened. The boy had started 
out one morning for an early ride across the prairie. 
ITe had not gone very far when he came upon a prairie 
dog village. lie stayed there for a while, teasing the 
noisy little creatures and chasing them into their bur¬ 
rows. 

When he was tired of the sport he started off in an¬ 
other direction, when thump, thump, stumbled the 
pony’s feet. He made a sudden plunge to save himself 
and as he did this his young rider was thrown forward, 
turning a somersault and landing in such a way that his 
ankle received a cruel twist. 

“ The pony must have stumbled into another bur¬ 
row,” thought the Indian boy as he rode home. “ How 
strange that I did not see it.” 


SPOTTED DEER, THE BLACKFOOT 


249 


That evening as the hoy lay sleepless, on his mat, his 
grandfather came and squatted down beside him. The 
old man knew the lad was in great pain, though he 
would not complain. 

“ He will make a brave warrior yet,” thought Spotted 
Deer. “ I am proud of him. I will tell him stories 
to make the time go quickly. 

a I remember the first prairie dog village I ever saw,” 
he told his grandson. “ I could not have been more 
than five suns (years) old. I had strayed away from 
the lodge when my mother was busy making moccasins. 
I took my little bow and arrows with me, saying, ‘ I 
am going out to see the world for myself.’ 

“ On and on I wandered. Nothing was in sight 
save the great stretch of prairie and the blue sky over¬ 
head. Not even a rabbit crossed my path. My feet 
were getting tired, when I saw many little mounds be¬ 
fore me. 

“ I was looking at the homes of the prairie dogs. You 
know them well; I had never seen them before. 

“ There' were hundreds of these little creatures to be 
seen. When I first caught sight of them they were 
busy eating the grass around their village. All at once 
the guard saw me, as I stood full of wonder at the 
strange sight. 

“ ‘ Skip! Skip ! Skip! ’ he cried. 


250 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


u It was the signal of danger. All went scurrying 
to the entrances of their homes. There they stood on 
top of their mounds, watching and listening. 

“ Would I do them any harm? This was what they 
were asking themselves. They turned their heads from 
side to side as they looked at me with their bright eyes. 

“ For a moment I stood quite still. I, too, was taken 
by surprise. The great numbers of the little creatures 
had almost frightened me. 

“ Then the hunter within me woke up. I lifted my 
bow to shoot. This was enough. The guard again 
called out: 

“ c Skip ! Skip ! Skip.’ 

“ In an instant not a living creature was in sight. 
Everyone of the prairie dogs had darted into his hole 
and was safe from the little Indian boy who was about 
to make war upon them. 

“ I stood there alone, with the blue sky above and the 
great plains around me. A fear suddenly fell upon me 
and I ran towards home as fast as my feet would carry 
me.” 

Spotted Deer’s young grandson laughed. It was 
strange to think that his stern old grandfather had once 
been a little child, scared at the thought of being alone. 
It was really funny. 

Spotted Deer smiled too. 


SPOTTED DEER, THE BLACK FOOT 251 


Now, as lie thought of it, it seemed as strange to him 
as to the little hoy at his side. 

u Grandfather, how do the prairie dogs make their 
houses so pointed and with the holes reaching so far 
down inside ? ” 

u With their noses/’ was the answer, “ Sometime 
I will go with you to one of their villages. We will 
open up one of the mounds. You shall see how the 
passage turns after it leads downward for a distance. 
Perhaps we shall discover a nest full of prairie dogs. 

“ We might find a rattlesnake in the nest, instead of 
little prairie dogs. Rattlesnakes are great enemies of 
these animals.” 

“ Yes, I know it. So are badgers and coyotes,” said 
the hoy. 

“ That is good,” Spotted Deer declared. “ Too many 
prairie dogs eat up the grass and larger animals go 
away. There are more now than when I was a hoy. 
It is because the white man’s rifle has scared away many 
of the coyotes.” 

“ I am glad of that,” said the red boy, thoughtfully. 
“ The coyote is a coward. He carries his tail low. 
lie sneaks along and is never ready to fight. He is 
always trying to keep out of danger. I hate the coy¬ 
ote.” 

“ Yet he is ever watchiui to destroy anything weaker 


252 


TEN INDIAN HUNTERS 


than he/ 7 the old man went on. “ lie prepares for 
many a feast when he scents a village of prairie dogs. 

“ lie likes a good fat hare, or a dinner of rabbits as 
well as you do. I have known him to kill deer and 
antelopes, but not often. 

“ Once I went out on the prairie with my father. It 
was nearly dark. The sun had already set. It was not 
long after my first visit to a prairie dog village. 

“ Suddenly we heard a cry. It was the howl of a 
coyote. It came nearer and nearer. My father turned, 
with arrow set ready to shoot. At this very moment 
I can see the glistening eyes of the wolf as he drew 
near. But when he discovered the man facing him, 
with arrow ready to shoot, his tail dropped and he slunk 
away in haste. A moment more, and he was a speck in 
the distance. 

“ ‘ Ilm! 7 said my father, ‘ The coward is wise enough 
to bid us good-by in a hurry. Ho doubt his home is 
not very far away, for we are near the village of prairie 
dogs you visited the other day. He will probably make 
his supper to-night on one of those little animals. If 
he catches them out of their holes, he makes short work 
of them. 7 

“ I was very young them, as I told you, and I felt 
sorry for the lively little creatures who had so many 


enemies. 


SPOTTED DEEP, THE BLAGKFOOT 


253 


As Spotted Deer finished the story he looked down at 
his young grandson. The hoy’s eyes had begun to 
droop. The king of sleep had come to claim him for 
the night. 

“ It is enough/’ the old man said to himself. “ I 
will leave the boy to his rest.” 

lie rose softly and went out into the night. The 
moon had risen and bathed the land in her soft and 
tender light. 

Spotted Deer looked off over the prairie where once 
he had seen great herds of buffalo feeding. Then he 
turned his eyes to the distant mountains where the for¬ 
ests were still the homes of many wild animals. 

“ Soon/’ said lie, “ I shall go to the Happy Hunting 
Grounds of the red man. There I shall find plenty and 
I shall be happy. 

“ But, my grandchildren! What will be their life 
when they are as old as I am now? 

“ The white men are moving their homes ever nearer. 
Even now the sound of the rifle is heard every day on 
these broad prairies. 

“ Sad was it for my people when their hunting- 
grounds were first disturbed by the strangers! ” 


THE END. 



Books by Mary Hazelton Wade 


“THE INDIAN SERIES” 

This series of Indian Stories constitutes in reality a 
history of a people which will soon be extinct. It 
comprises the following books : 

TEN LITTLE INDIANS. 

Stories of How Indian Children Lived and Played. 
247 pages. 

TEN BIG INDIANS. 

Stories of Famous Indian Chiefs. • 256 pages. 

TEN INDIAN HUNTERS. 

Stories of Famous Indian Hunters. 253 pages. 

INDIAN FAIRY TALES. 

As Told to the Little Children of the Wigwam. 
240 pages. 

These books present true pictures of Indian life. 
They teach of the children ; of the hunters and warrior 
chiefs of the tribes ; and also of their famous folk-lore, 
which was so often told around the wigwam fires. 

Each story and each volume is complete in itself which 
makes them particularly well adapted for supplemen¬ 
tary reading purposes. 

It is a series of books which should be in the home of 
every child. 

Each volume fully Illustrated with 10 full-page 
pictures. Price t $1.00 each. 

W. A. WILDE COMPANY 

Boston, Mass. Chicago, Ill. 


i 





By MARY HAZELTON WADE. 

Unde Sam’s Qld=Time Stories. 

This series of books covers in story form the early history 
of our country. 

They are adapted for the youngest grades and are so 
arranged as to be eminently fitted for supplementary reading 
in schools. 

The several stories are connected in such a way as to make 
each volume complete, but they also can be separated with¬ 
out effecting the interest. 

They are bright, interesting, and instructive volumes, 
fitting for almost any purpose. 

THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN; or 
How our Country was Discovered. 

183 pages. 

Uncle Sam, the story-teller, is an ardent lover of his coun¬ 
try, and his stories of the early beginnings of American 
History will arouse a spirit of patriotism. 

Each story is simple and vividly told and when all are taken 
as a whole, the story of the discovery of our country is 
complete. 

OLD COLONY DAYS. 

Stories of the First Settlers and How our Country 
Grew. 190 pages. 

After the discovery of our country came the work of 
development by the Colonists. What they accomplished and 
how they suffered is clearly brought out, but the spirit of 
perseverance prevailed, and remains to-day as an inspiration 
to better and truer lives. 

BUILDING THE NATION. 

Stories of How our Forefathers Lived and What They 
Did to Make our Country a United One. 217 pages. 

In unity there is strength, and the common danger of the 
Colonists brought about this unity. 

Every true American citizen will sympathize with this 
story-teller — Uncle Sam — who feels that our country is 
secure, when the children of to-day grow up with love and 
reverence for the American flag and the country for which 
it stands. 

Each volume fully illustrated. Price , 75 cents each. 


W. A. WILDE COMPANY, 

Boston and Chicago. 








THE LITTLE OUEEN 

cv 

By Eva Madden 

24.0 pp. Illustrated . Cloth , $1.00 


About the little seven-year-old French wife of Richard II. 
the writer has woven one of the sweetest and happiest stories 
of its kind, presented in a peculiarly pleasing and interesting 
style .—Boston Herald. 

NS 

This is a very entertaining story, with a web of English and 
French history so carefully woven with a fictional background 
that the history is indelibly impressed on our minds before 
we are conscious that we have learned it .—Daily News. 

NS 

A winsome and royal child is the “ Little Queen” w r hose 
history is told in this story, embroidered, like some rich arras, 
with courtiers, and fair ladies, and pageants, and knights, and 
knightly deeds. Nor is the tale too long, but told with an 
art which never suffers it to become tedious, nor allows the 
interest to wane .—Milwaukee “ Free Press." 

NS 

This story is the brief, sad life of the child-wife of Richard II. 
of England and will do much toward awakening interest in and 
impressing on the minds of young people the troublous times 
in w T hich this little French maid’s lot was cast, and in which 
she so faithfully and fearlessly took her part.— The Record. 

Miss Madden tells the pathetic story of this little French 
princess most charmingly, and, while she does not confine 
herself exclusively to history, historical facts form the foun¬ 
dation on which the attractive story is built. It is thoroughly 
interesting, and will please little people, as well as boys and 
girls of older years.— Herald. 




WINIFRED WEST 

A Story by Blanche M. Channing 
With Illustrations by Chase Emerson 
Cloth, 271 Pages. Price, $1.00 



“‘Winifred West’ is a thoroughly natural story 
of a modern girl. True to life, carefully written, and 
abounding in bright incidents, it makes a story well 
worth the reading.”— New York Times. 

“ The advantages which open up to the young heroine 
of this story and the manner in which her talents de¬ 
velop make the burden of a wholesome and happily 
told story.”— Outlook. 

“A charming story for girls, in which the young hero¬ 
ine teaches, by her pure and simple living, many beau¬ 
tiful lessons of a wholesome and illuminating kind for 
young people.”— Pittsburg Chronicle. 

“ ‘Winifred West’ is a simple story, simply told, 
with little romance, but with those happy touches of 
homely reality that are sure to win young people's 
sympathy.”— The Churchman. 

“A happy story of a young girl and her ambitions 
is embodied in ‘ Winifred West.’ The daughter of a 
country doctor, she develops unusual musical talent 
and is sent to Boston to study her favorite instrument, 
the violin. Her hard work, bright disposition, and 
tender love for the old home make a pleasing and 
healthful story.”— Minneapolis Tribune. 

‘“Winifred West’ is a particularly good book for 
girls. It is far from being a tale of thrilling adven¬ 
ture; on th^ contrary, its scenes are of the quiet, every¬ 
day sort that come within the experience of most girls, 
for the author invests them with the charm in the tell¬ 
ing that is irresistibly winning by her sympathetic 
treatment and the atmosphere of home life that makes 
every event illuminous. There are glimpses of three 
widely different homes in which the young heroine 
finds entertainment in her progress toward a profes¬ 
sional career, each depicted with kindly hand and 
skilful touch.”— The Era. 

































































































































